Montgomery County Community College has been named as a "Military Friendly School" for 2010 by G.I. Jobs magazine. The designation ranks the College in the top 15 percent of all higher education institutions in the country.
The ranking is based a survey that examined an institution’s VA approval of GI Bill benefits, CLEP acceptance, credit for military service, reserve and guard policies, access to flexible learning options, veteran programs, veteran student composition, and assets dedicated to recruiting military students, among other criteria.
With 231 student veterans enrolled in the spring 2009 semester and even more registered early for the fall semester, the College is focused on reaching out to veterans in the community and on providing them with support once they arrive on campus. The number of student veterans at the College will continue to increase, as education benefits outlined in the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008, also known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, include four years of in-state undergraduate tuition and fees, room and board, book stipends, tutoring fees, and relocation costs.
To better serve the growing veteran student population, the College established a Veterans Affairs Office as part of the Student Success Center. With a designated academic advisor, the College is able to assist student veterans with all aspects of their academic careers, as well as with navigating through their Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits.
Last year, student veterans organized themselves into the new Student Veterans Organization (SVO), a peer-support group that operates out of the College’s Office of Student Leadership and Involvement. Chartered by students, the organization assists with orientation for new student veterans, helps organize career placement opportunities, advocates for veterans rights in current legislation, and provides a place where student veterans can meet with others in similar situations to forge friendships and provide a peer-support network.
The Military Friendly Schools list, which is an extension of G.I. Jobs Military Friendly Employers list, provides military and veteran students a way to discern which schools offer them the most benefit.
According to G.I. Jobs, an estimated eight million veterans are each eligible for an average $107,830 of tuition benefits over a four-year degree program. Total benefits are estimated at $859 billion, and tuition payments are now made directly to schools. More than one million military spouses are also eligible for some benefits.
For more information about Veterans Affairs at Montgomery County Community College, visit the veteran's website, or contact George Pannebaker at 215-619-7307 or gpanneba@mc3.edu.
