MCC earns Military Friendly School designation
A world-wide distributed magazine has named Meridian Community College as a 2020-21 Military Friendly School – an honor that salutes top colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace American veterans.
Now in its 10th year, the Military Friendly® Schools list sets the standard for higher education institutions to provide the best opportunities for veterans and their spouses. The list offers a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations.
Dr. Angela Payne, director of admissions at MCC, said MCC is one of only nine Mississippi colleges to earn this distinction this year. “This demonstrates the institution's commitment to our military-attached community and the value we place on their educational success,” she said.
Pam Baranello, military and veterans coordinator at MCC, echoes the sentiment crediting College administration, faculty and staff who help military and veteran students and their dependents. “We all work as a team to give the best experience possible to the ones who protect and serve.”
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. More than 1,000 schools participated in the 2020-2021 survey, with 625 schools earning the designation from every state in the country. The 2020-2021 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine. The list can also be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.
VIQTORY determined methodology, criteria, and weightings with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. 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.
The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly® Schools survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weighting, were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers.