ESU Backup Insider

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania announced today that it has earned the 2017 Military Friendly® School designation by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs®, STEM Jobs^SM, and Military Spouse.

First published in 2009, Military Friendly® Schools is the most comprehensive, powerful resource for veterans today. Each year, the list of Military Friendly® Schools is provided to service members and their families, helping them select the best college, university, or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media’s proprietary survey. More than 1,600 schools participated in the 2017 survey; 1,160 were awarded with the designation. Ratings methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Victory Media with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment communities. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

June Pepe, assistant director of veterans services is proud of the support ESU offers to student veterans. “Services include everything from educational needs such as help with obtaining scholarship and grants to bringing in guest speakers and providing a safe space for people to share similar life experiences,” Pepe said.

Daniel Nichols, a Navy Reserve veteran and Chief Product Officer at Victory Media, said, “Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to the majority of colleges gives veterans a comprehensive view of which schools are striving to provide the best opportunities and conditions for our nation’s student veterans. Military Friendly® helps military families make the best use of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other federal benefits while allowing us to further our goal of assisting them in finding success in their chosen career fields.”

For more information about ESU’s commitment to attracting and supporting military students, visit the veterans affairs section of ESU’s website, esu.edu/va.  ESU will be featured along with the other 2017 Military Friendly® Schools in the annual Guide to Military Friendly® Schools, special education issues of G.I. Jobs® and Military Spouse Magazine, and on militaryfriendly.com.

For more information about the ESU Student Veterans Center contact Pepe at 570-422-2830 or email jpepe@esu.edu.

About Military Friendly® Schools: The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly ® Schools survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weightings were developed by Victory Media with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. Data calculations and tabulations were independently evaluated for completeness and accuracy by EY. The survey is administered for free and is open to all post-secondary schools that wish to participate. Criteria for consideration can be found at: militaryfriendly.com.

About Victory Media: Founded in 2001, Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs® , Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur®, STEM Jobs^SM and Military Friendly® brands. Learn more about Victory Media at www.victorymedia.com. For further information or to arrange interviews, contact: Suzanne Treviño at strevino@gcjpr.com or 602-618-7857.