SEMO awarded 2022-2023 Military Friendly Gold designation

For the second year in a row, Southeast Missouri State University has been honored with a "Military Friendly" distinction.

Of all the schools surveyed by www.militaryfriendly.com, less than 37% were awarded the Military Friendly designation and less than 16% received the highest "Gold" level distinction, which Southeast also received again this year.

SEMO's Office of Military and Veteran Services, located on the University Center's third floor, was given special consideration. According to the university, the office provides targeted resources, information and support to veterans, while researching and advocating new veteran-related policies and initiatives to support the school's military personnel.

Southeast describes itself as one of the finest higher education facilities in the nation in terms of attending to the needs of military veterans and their families.

The Military Friendly designation comes as a result of both publicly available information and private surveys evaluating student retention, graduation rates, job placement success rates, and loan-repayment success rates. An independent research firm along with an advisory council of educators and employers assisted the award process, in connection with VIQTORY, a veteran-owned small business.

Amanda Wood, SEMO's services officer, has been instrumental in pushing for military-friendly policies and procedures.

"I assist students in breaking down barriers to education and I'm pushing for better military transfer credit review, so that credits awarded in the military can transfer to college. I'm that boots-on-the-ground person that makes sure Southeast stays in line, but I'm also here so service members and their families understand what's going on and have the support and resources to be successful," Woods stated.