SEMO goes Gold as military-friendly school

Southeast Missouri State University has been awarded the Military Friendly Top 10 Schools and Gold designation.

Southeast's rank, up from Silver designation in 2020-2021, recognizes the university's commitment to increase and continuously improve policies and procedures benefiting veterans and students while accomplishing their higher education goals and after graduation, said Amanda Woods, Military and Veterans Services officer with Southeast's Office of Military and Veteran Services (OMVS).

"This award highlights the dedication and effort that Southeast and the Office of Military and Veteran Services have in serving and supporting our military-affiliated students," she said in a news release. "I feel we go above and beyond to ensure our students have whatever they need to be successful, not just while at Southeast but after graduation and with successful career placements."

According to the Military Friendly website, more than 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey with around 750 schools earning the designation and 162 of which earned the Gold award status.

The Military Friendly Top 10 Schools, a list of 110 schools, represent the elite target for military and veteran programs and initiatives. Top 10 Schools set the standard for other designations and are programs continuing to improve every year, Military Friendly said on its website.

To earn these two designations, Southeast was evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the university.

The final survey results and ratings are determined by combining an institution's survey scores with the assessment of the institution's ability to meet minimum thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans, according to Military Friendly.

The Military Friendly rating specifically highlighted Southeast's Office of Military and Veteran Services, located on the third floor of the University Center, for providing targeted resources, information and support to veterans, military personnel and their dependents during their experience with Southeast.

The office helps align military-affiliated students with campus resources such as the Academic Support Centers, Center for Behavioral Health and Accessibility, and Career Services. The office also refers veteran students to various veterans' service organizations in the area and other external organizations that may be able to provide additional support, which may not be traditionally offered in a university setting.

"Whether it's academic assistance, education benefit counseling and assistance, engagement opportunities, or referrals for counseling, healthcare, employment or housing, the OMVS is there to provide targeted support and services," Woods said in the news release.

The office also researches and advocates for opportunities to implement veteran-friendly policies, procedures, processes, events and support services. The office hosts events and workshops for service members, veterans and their dependents, according to the release. In addition, the office assists in the research and development of grant applications and other external funding proposals related to veterans' initiatives.

For more information about Southeast's Office of Military and Veterans Services, visit www.semo.edu/veterans.

The 2021-2022 Military Friendly Schools list is available at www.militaryfriendly.com.