The University of Toledo has been recognized by the Ohio Department of Higher Education for its continued efforts to support students with military backgrounds.
UToledo was one of 30 Ohio colleges and universities to receive a renewed Collegiate Purple Star designation last week.
“I commend these colleges and universities for continuing the great work that earns them the Collegiate Purple Star designation,” said Mike Duffey, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education. “Memorial Day is a fitting time to recognize that military-connected students have different needs in higher education, and these schools have reconfirmed their commitment to providing the support and resources to help these students reach their goals.”
The Collegiate Purple Star program was instituted by the state in 2022 to recognize military-friendly institutions of higher education. UToledo was among the first 33 awardees.
“We were proud to be among the first universities in the state recognized under this program. This further reaffirms our position as a military-friendly campus,” said Eric Buetikofer, director of military and veteran affairs at UToledo. “We have a commitment to honoring the service of our veteran, reservist and active-duty students while ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to be successful in their pursuit of higher education.”
UToledo has a long track record of offering strong support for military-connected students.
The University has consistently been included in the annual Military Times Best for Vets list, including placing second in Ohio and 10th in the Midwest in last year’s list. Nationally, UToledo ranked 103, up 10 spots from the prior year.
UToledo also is nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report for its online bachelor’s degree programs for veterans, and offers an array of support services and programming through its Military Service Center.
“We like to think of ourselves as an alternative front door to the University,” Buetikofer said. “When a military-connected student is thinking about coming to college, we’re often the first they contact — even before admissions. Our big thing is helping students with military benefits and onboarding, but we’re here for them throughout their collegiate experience.”
Among the center’s services are a peer-to-peer advising program that pairs new military-connected students with a military-connected upperclassman, resource fairs and regular Green Zone training to discuss how faculty and staff can support military-connected students at UToledo.
The Military Service Center also hosts annual events like the 22 Pushup Challenge on 9/11 and Ruck the Ball ahead of the Rockets’ football game with Bowling Green State University, and can offer referrals to a number of additional on- and off-campus resources.
The Collegiate Purple Star program builds on an earlier initiative from the Ohio Department of Education that honored pre-K and K-12 schools that have worked to become military friendly.
The awards are based on a number of criteria, including having a dedicated military point of contact on campus, offering priority registration for veterans and servicemembers and their efforts to solicit feedback from student veterans and servicemembers.
Designations are determined by a Collegiate Purple Star Advisory Committee, which is appointed by the chancellor and includes representatives from the Ohio Department of Higher Education, the Ohio Veterans Education Council, the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, the Ohio Adjutant General’s Department and Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission K-12 Purple Star Committee.
As of May, 367 pre-K and K-12 schools and 50 colleges and universities have received the Purple Star designation.
