WSCC receives veteran friendly status.  

WSCC receives veteran friendly status.  

VICTORY TOWNSHIP — The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) recently announced that 70 colleges, universities and professional trade schools from throughout the state have been recognized as 2017 Veteran-Friendly Schools.

For the third year, West Shore Community College earned a silver–level certification for the 2017-18 academic year.

The program awards bronze, silver or gold-level status to the participating educational institutions for their commitment to providing on-campus, veteran-centric services to student veterans and dependents utilizing a GI Bill and other educational benefits. This is the program’s third year; 65 schools participated in 2016 and 57 in 2015.

“The continued growth of MVAA’s Veteran-Friendly School Program demonstrates the dedication our state’s academic institutions have to the success of our student veteran population,” said MVAA Director James Robert Redford. “Michigan is fortunate to have top quality educational institutions that maintain high standards of support and services for our growing population of veterans and their families. The program makes it easy for students to identify which schools are invested in their success, and we greatly appreciate the commitment of this year’s participants.”

An estimated 16,458 military-connected students are attending the 70 ranked institutions throughout Michigan for the 2017 academic year.

Criteria the schools must meet include having an active student-operated veterans club or association; veteran-specific career services or advising; on-campus veteran’s coordinator and awarding credit based on prior military training and experience.

The veteran-friendly designation is available to any institution of higher learning eligible to receive veteran education benefits, regardless of size, location or program delivery. Institutions apply annually for a designation, with an application and review process conducted every spring semester.