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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (August 17, 2009) — Milligan College is among the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools which are doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students, according to an announcement made today by G.I. Jobs magazine. A premier publication for military transitioners, G.I. Jobs named Milligan to its 2010 list of Military Friendly Schools, scheduled for release in September.
The Military Friendly Schools list was compiled through exhaustive research starting last May during which G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) consisting of educators and administrators from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Toledo, Duquesne University, Coastline Community College and Lincoln Technical Institute. Criteria for making the list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations.
“Milligan has a long history of supporting our military,” said President Donald R. Jeanes. “From the mid-1940s, when Milligan became a naval base for the World War II V-12 training program, to today, when the college signed on in support of the military’s ‘Post-9/11 GI Bill,’ Milligan has proudly supported our soldiers and their educational pursuits. We are honored to be recognized by G.I. Jobs as a Military Friendly School.”
Jeanes explained that Milligan signed on to the voluntary Post-9/11 GI Bill last spring. Also known as the “New G.I. Bill,” the program is an effort to pay for veterans’ college expenses to a similar extent that the original GI Bill did after World War II by providing for payment of tuition and fees, a housing allowance, and a stipend for books and supplies. The program is available for eligible veterans who have served at least three years on active military duty, or at least 30 days for someone released for a service-connected disability, since September 11, 2001.
For all colleges, public or private, the program provides scholarships equal to tuition and fees at the most expensive public institution in a state, plus a monthly housing stipend and an allowance for books. For institutions with higher tuition and fees, the federal government will match, dollar-for-dollar, contributions that colleges and universities make to help veterans cover tuition costs above the maximum in-state public college tuition amount.
The program is applicable towards all Milligan degree programs, which include traditional undergraduate programs in more than 25 majors, evening degree completion programs in business and education, and three graduate programs: MBA, Master of Education, and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. The college allows for military transfer credit, flexibility on registration and withdrawals due to deployments, and payment deferments while awaiting properly applied-for educational benefits. Milligan also waives college application fees for veterans and provides individual counseling during the application and admission process.
“This list is especially important now because the recently enacted Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school,” said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. “Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they’re academically qualified. Veterans need a trusted friend to help them decide where to get educated. The Military Friendly Schools list is that trusted friend.”
For more information about Milligan College and the “New GI Bill” benefits, call 800.262.8337 or visit www.milligan.edu. To learn more about G.I. Jobs and their 2010 list of Military Friendly Schools, visit www.gijobs.com. Additional information regarding the Post-9/11 GI Bill is available at the Veterans Administration website, www.gibill2008.org.