Gonzaga Earns ‘Military Friendly’ Designation
SPOKANE, Wash. — Continuing its mission to provide veterans, their spouses, and the military community with the finest choices nationwide for educational opportunities, Military Friendly has named Gonzaga University to its 2020-21 Military Friendly Schools list.
The Military Friendly Schools list, now in its 10th year, provides a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families to the top educational institutions for the military community and veterans, using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations.
The list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine. The list can also be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.
Institutions earning the designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. More than 1,000 schools participated in the 2020-2021 survey; 625 schools earned the designation, representing every state in the country.
“This recognition is a great reflection of engagement across the entire University,” said Audrey Minton, senior transfer admission counselor. “Gonzaga is constantly considering ways to enhance educational support of transitioning military members and their families.”
Colleen Vandenboom, assistant dean of student involvement and leadership, said Gonzaga has developed and implemented several initiatives to strengthen support for veterans and military service members, including: a service member graduation ceremony, increased involvement with national veteran organizations, and military-culture training for staff and faculty.
“We do this work because it’s the right thing to do,” Vandenboom said. “Military veterans and their families have done so much for our community and country, and Gonzaga’s work to support veterans is one small way to say, ‘Thank you for your service.’”
Gonzaga also was recognized in fall 2019 by U.S. News and World Report as among the top 12% for best colleges for veterans (No. 48, tie) in its specialty rankings.
Methodology
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by VIQTORY with input from an advisory council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. VIQTORY is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, and Military Friendly brands. Final ratings were determined by combining each institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.
For more information about Gonzaga’s efforts to support veterans and the military community, contact Colleen Vandenboom at (509) 313-5606. For more information about the designation, contact Joshua Rosen at (412) 269-1663 ext. 103.