For the third year in a row, OSU Institute of Technology has been designated a Military Friendly® School based on a nationwide survey conducted by Victory Media.

The 2015 Military Friendly® Schools designation is awarded to the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students, and to dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation. The methodology used for making the Military Friendly® Schools list has changed the student veteran landscape to one much more transparent, and has played a significant role over the past six years in capturing and advancing best practices to support military students across the country.

“OSUIT is very proud to have this distinction for the third year in a row. Each year we strive to provide new services to our veterans and several improvements are in the works for this year,” said Sommer Farrimond, Veterans Affairs coordinator. “Our veterans have proudly served our country; it’s our privilege to be able to now assist them in meeting their educational and career goals.”

OSUIT has two Certified Veteran Service Providers on campus who act as advocates for all veterans and their families. A dedicated full-time Veterans Service Coordinator processes all veteran education benefits and military transcripts. The university also provides free counseling opportunities with a certified counselor who specializes in working with veterans.

OSUIT also has a chapter of the Student Veterans Association, which is active year round on campus, as well as a dedicated Veterans Lounge available for veterans to do homework, meet for study sessions together, or just relax between classes.

Chenoa Worthington, assistant registrar, said veterans bring invaluable leadership and service skills to campus and their future careers, and OSUIT helps them gain the education and training they need to not only graduate with a degree, but to successfully start their career.

“Being Military Friendly means being there for our veterans every step of the way. We are here to answer questions and make their transition into college life as easy as possible,” said Worthington. “We see them through all the way until graduation, where we honor their accomplishments with a Veterans Honor Cord.”