Colorado State University Makes GI Jobs Military Friendly Schools List

Colorado State University has been named a Military Friendly School, in the company of the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools. The list recognizes higher education institutions that embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.

The 2013 Military Friendly Schools list, released today, is put out by GI Jobs magazine. Inclusion in the list shows that CSU is committed to providing a supportive environment for military students. Recognized schools offer military students the best services, programs, discounts, scholarships, clubs, networking and staff.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to military students, and making it easier to transition onto campus is one way we can repay that debt,” said Rick Miranda, executive vice president and provost at Colorado State. “We value the contributions student veterans bring to our campus, and we want to make sure they are successful academically and are well-qualified graduates entering the workforce.”

At CSU, the Adult Learner and Veteran’s Service Office, or ALVS, offers a full range of services for veterans to assist them in transitioning into college life and succeeding academically.

The Veteran Success Program helps student veterans connect to on-and off-campus support while supplementing campus academic resources to increase student veteran retention and graduation rates. A Veteran Success coach provides one-on-one consultation and connects students with existing resources to support their academic and personal success.

The Education to Employment, or E2E, partnership with ALVS, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and the CSU Career Center helps veterans shift into the workforce after graduation through internships and jobs while they are in school, and by building employment skills so they are prepared for full-time work after college. The Department of Labor and Employment has a representative available in the ALVS office a minimum of 16 hours a week to help students with resumes, prepare for employment and network with businesses.

The New Start program supports CSU student-veterans re-entering the community and coming to college after sustaining a life-altering injury while in the military. New Start helps student veterans achieve success as college students and ultimately in the career area of their choice. Housed in CSU’s Center for Community Partnerships in the Department of Occupational Therapy, New Start provides individualized academic guidance and mentoring to student veterans. Services include support in addressing memory challenges and in developing compensatory strategies.

CSU’s Veterans Day 5K, scheduled this year on Nov. 10, is a fundraiser for scholarships for honorably-discharged CSU student veterans living with military disabilities related to their military service. Last year’s event, in honor of Sgt. Nick Walsh, attracted more 300 runners and walkers and raised more than $5,000. This year’s event will honor another veteran connected with CSU: Staff Sgt. Michael C. Parrott, a former CSU Facilities employee and a member of the Army National Guard. Parrott died in Iraq in 2005.

Colorado State University partners with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program to offering full awards, including tuition, fees, and generous housing and books stipends, to qualifying non-resident U.S. military veterans and their designated dependents.
CSU was the first four-year university to partner with Veterans Green Jobs to provide “green” educational opportunities to veterans. On Veterans Day 2009, CSU and Veterans Green Jobs announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to create the Veterans Green Jobs Education Initiative at the university. The MOU established a formal relationship between CSU and Veterans Green Jobs for the purpose of encouraging and enhancing opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate military veterans attending the university.

The university has also been recognized for providing education to the Colorado Army National Guard, awarded the Success for Veterans Award Grant in 2009, and is currently offering a military veterans section for required composition courses to engage veterans in sharing experiences and perspectives while offering support. CSU was also awarded a grant from the Department of Defense to provide camps for military youth to introduce outdoor adventures and the concept of mindfulness, which entails full attention and awareness, without judgment and emotional reactivity, to learn critical life and coping skills.

To learn more about veterans services at Colorado State, visit veterans.colostate.edu.

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