Cadets in Appalachian State University’s ROTC program stand at attention during the presentation of colors during a Veterans Day ceremony on campus Nov. 10. The university has been added to the Military Times Best: Colleges 2018 list for its suitability for service members, military veterans and their families. Photo by Marie Freeman
BOONE, N.C.—Appalachian State University has a debut ranking on the Military Times Best: Colleges 2018 list, an annual survey now in its eighth year. The survey assesses two- and four-year colleges, as well as online and nontraditional colleges and career and technical schools, based on their suitability for service members, military veterans and their families. The list, formerly known as Best for Vets, is an editorially independent news project.
More than 600 colleges and universities completed the 150-question survey, and their responses, along with data from the United States Veterans Affairs, Defense and Education departments, were used to evaluate each school for the services they offer, as well as their rates of academic achievement. The colleges received rankings across five categories: university culture, academic quality and outcomes, policies, student support, and cost and financial aid.
Of the hundreds of schools that applied, fewer than half — 218 — were named to the list, said George Altman, the Military Times editor in charge of the rankings.
“This is significant recognition for Appalachian,” said Eric Gormly, the university’s coordinator of veteran services. “A lot of military folks look at this particular list and it gets our name out to people in the military.”
The Major General Edward M. Reeder Jr. Student Veteran Resource Center, which serves the 302 veterans and active-duty military personnel on Appalachian’s campus, recently opened last year, Gormly said, when schools and their services were being assessed by Military Times.
“The center itself has given us so much exposure,” he said. “We’ve been able to work with so many departments on campus and hopefully that will move us up in the survey in the coming year.”
Eight other University of North Carolina system schools, in addition to Appalachian, made the list. Fayetteville Technical Community College was the only North Carolina school outside the state university system to be included in the rankings.
A Military Friendly School since 2010
Since 2010, Victory Media, the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, has awarded Appalachian the designation of Military Friendly School. The designation places Appalachian in the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students, and to dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation. In addition to a number of existing services, the university opened the Major General Edward M. Reeder Jr. Student Veteran Resource Center in November 2016.
About Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, Appalachian enrolls about 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
Open one year, Student Veteran Resource Center provides key services and important connections
