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AMHERST, N.Y. – ˿����Ƶ College has been recognized as one of the top military friendly and veteran supportive institutions in the country in two newly released national rankings.

For the eighth consecutive year, ˿����Ƶ has been selected by Victory Media as a Military Friendly School, which is awarded to top colleges, universities and trade schools in the country for doing the most to embrace student veterans and have dedicated resources to ensure their success in the classroom and beyond graduation.

˿����Ƶ has also been named a top school in the 2017 Military Advanced Education and Transition Guide to Colleges and Universities that measures best practices in military and veteran education.

“It is a tremendous honor to receive these national distinctions in recognition of our commitment to provide the best support, services, and resources to assist our student veterans in achieving academic and career success,” said ˿����Ƶ President Gary A. Olson. “We are proud to welcome student veterans into our college community and to offer them an exceptional educational experience.”

Now in its eighth year, the Military Friendly School designation is based on extensive research from public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and survey responses from participating institutions. The designation indicates an institution is better for veterans with admissions, student support, and career services in place to prepare them for graduation and employment.

According to Daniel Nichols, a Navy Reserve veteran and chief product officer at Victory Media, “Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to the majority of colleges gives veterans a comprehensive view of which schools are striving to provide the best opportunities and conditions for our nation’s student veterans.”

For the Military Advanced Education and Transition designation, ˿����Ƶ was evaluated on achievement in military culture, financial aid, flexibility, general and on-campus support services, and online support. The guide is based on a questionnaire of military supportive policies at hundreds of colleges and universities from across the country.

Each institution’s performance rating by category is available in a dashboard that enables prospective students to quickly target schools that follow best practices in military education, and then put these in context with other academic or career considerations.

“This guide provides the foundational information a prospective student would use in framing his or her educational needs,” said Kelly Fodel, editor-in-chief of Military Advanced Education and Transition. “By focusing the guide on the best practices emphasized by higher education groups, student veterans have a high chance of success and support at their school of choice.”

˿����Ƶ’s veteran services are coordinated through the college’s Nancy Haberman Gacioch Center for Veterans that is led by Dr. Maureen Millane, associate vice president for community engagement, and Dr. Theresa Joyce, coordinator of veteran center services. The center also offers a place on campus where veterans may study or connect with other students with military service.

In addition to the center, the ˿����Ƶ Student Veteran Alliance is an active advocacy organization for student veterans, and hosts several activities and events throughout the academic year.

“As an important part of the ˿����Ƶ community, our student veterans bring with them life experiences that greatly enrich our classrooms and our campus,” said Dr. Michael Brogan, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to assist each student veteran with achieving their educational goals.”