Defiance College Named to
2011 Military Friendly Schools List

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College has been selected to the Military Friendly Schools list for 2011. This recognition, which is afforded to less than 15% of all colleges and universities in the nation, recognizes colleges and schools which both actively recruit veterans and also provide significant benefits and services to those veterans. This is the second consecutive year that Defiance College has been named to this list.

“The Post-9/11 GI Bill and our recent membership in the Yellow Ribbon program allow us to not only work with veterans to attend college tuition-free, but also to implement special programs and initiatives that will assist them with their educational goals. One such initiative is a new Veterans Committee which includes a U.S. Army veteran and U.S. Air Force veteran as well as representatives from key areas on campus. The committee meets regularly to identify and address needs of veteran students,” said Mark C. Gordon, Defiance College president.
Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list include efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations. Schools on the Military Friendly Schools list also offer additional benefits to student veterans such as on-campus veterans programs, credit for service, military spouse programs and more.

The list, created by G.I. Jobs, was developed by polling more than 7,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) consisting of educators from Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Colorado State University, Dallas County Community College, Old Dominion University, Cleveland State University, Lincoln Technical Institute and Embry Riddle; as well as Keith Wilson, VA’s director of education services; Michele Spires, American Council on Education’s assistant director of military programs; Janet Swandol, associate director for CLEP, and Derek Blumke, president of Student Veterans of America.

“This list is especially important now because the Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school,” said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. “Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they’re academically qualified. So schools are clamoring for them like never before. Veterans need a trusted friend to help them decide where to get educated. The Military Friendly Schools list is that trusted friend.”

Defiance College’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon program follows a long tradition of the institution’s welcoming and support of military veterans as students of higher education. The new Yellow Ribbon program provides a mix of governmental and college-provided funding for tuition expenses at participating private institutions, allowing veterans to attend Defiance College tuition-free. Additionally, prospective students must meet all requirements for full-time admission to Defiance College and submit an application for admission.

G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com) 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.”

Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.

August 18, 2010