Indiana University of Pennsylvania has been honored once again by a national publication for outstanding military and veteran education.
The publication Military Advanced Education recognized IUP as an “MAE 2015 Top School” for exhibiting best practices in military and veteran education. Schools were evaluated based on categories including military culture, financial aid, flexibility, on-campus support, and online support services.
The “2015 Guide to Colleges & Universities” is published in the magazine's December issue. This is the second consecutive year MAE has named IUP a top school.
IUP has a Veterans Affairs office to assist student veterans and dependents of veterans with their educational benefits. The university also opened its Military Resource Center in January. Directed by Cory Shay, the center is both a physical space and a system that coordinates services, information, and guidance for military-affiliated students. Its facilities include a conference room, a lounge, and an area for one-on-one counseling and assistance in completing required paperwork for receiving military benefits. The center is funded through the president's Strategic Initiative program at IUP.
“To be recognized by a national publication such as Military Advanced Education is a great honor and a reflection of the commitment made by IUP to servicing its veterans and military-affiliated students,” Shay said.
“When you read the latest literature that has been published on veterans in college, it states that to be a truly veteran-friendly university, the commitment to servicing veterans has to be school-wide. That is what we have at IUP. The commitment to our military-affiliated students has been made by our Council of Trustees, President Michael Driscoll, Provost Timothy Moerland, the vice presidents, deans, faculty, staff, and students of IUP.”
In addition to its latest journal honor, IUP has consistently been recognized by G.I. Jobs magazine as a “Military Friendly School” and by Military Times magazine as one of the nation's “Best for Vets” institutions. IUP was one of only 68 four-year colleges in the nation chosen for the “Best for Vets” listing.
IUP is also a Yellow Ribbon university. The Yellow Ribbon program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, allows U.S. colleges and universities to enter into an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate.