For the fourth consecutive year, G.I. Jobs has listed Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College among the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the nation doing the most to embrace America’s military veterans as students.

The list was compiled through exhaustive research during which G.I. Jobs researched and surveyed more than 12,000 Department of Veterans Affairs-approved schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an academic advisory board consisting of educators and administrators from 14 colleges and universities across the nation.

“Bemidji State University is very proud to be named by G.I. Jobs as a campus working to serve our veteran students in remarkable ways,” said Dr. Mary Ward, Bemidji State’s vice president for student development and enrollment. “But we are even more proud of the veterans who choose to attend Bemidji State. We understand the sacrifices they have all made in their time of service to our nation. We will strive to continue providing the help that our veterans are entitled to as they pursue their academic endeavors.”

Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations.

Bemidji State was one of three Minnesota state universities system to make the list, joining St. Cloud State University and Winona State University. Northwest Technical College was joined by 23 other system two-year community and technical colleges. In total, 27 members of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system were recognized. That number has more than doubled in the four years that G.I. Jobs has produced the Military Friendly Schools list; the 2009 list included only 12 colleges and universities from the system.

This year’s Military Friendly Schools list includes a total of 1,739 institutions, with 51 colleges and universities and 18 institutions classified as branch campuses making the chart from Minnesota.

“As interest in education grows, we’re thrilled to provide the military community with transparent, world-class resources to assist in their search for schools,” said Sean Collins, vice president at Victory Media, Inc., and director for G.I. Jobs.

A full story and detailed list of Military Friendly Schools will be highlighted in the annual “G.I Jobs Guide to Military Friendly Schools” and on a poster, both of which will be distributed to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in October. A full list of military-friendly schools is available at http://www.militaryfriendlyschools.com. In addition, the guide will be featured at the Nov. 9 Carrier Classic college basketball game between Ohio State and Marquette on the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Yorktown.

About G.I. Jobs
G.I. Jobs is published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa. The company also publishes The Guide to Military Friendly Schools, Military Spouse and Vetrepreneur magazines and annually rates the nation’s “Military Friendly Employers,” “Military Spouse Friendly Employers” and “Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses.” For further information, visit http://www.gijobs.com.

LINKS
• G.I. Jobs 2013 Military Friendly Schools
• G.I. Jobs Profile: Bemidji State University
• G.I. Jobs Profile: Northwest Technical College