For the seventh consecutive year, Southeastern has been named a Military Friendly School.
Viqtory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, states that the listing honors the top colleges, universities, and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace the nation’s military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and to ensure their success on campus.
“This listing demonstrates Southeastern’s ongoing commitment to our veterans and their educational success,” said President John L. Crain. “It is an honor to be named and to know that we are among the top institutions helping those individuals who have made great sacrifices in service to our state and nation.”
Southeastern enrolls over 400 veteran and active duty military. The University maintains a Veterans Upward Bound program; has an Office of Veterans Affairs, and has recently hired a director of military and veteran’s affairs, that assists students in obtaining benefits and with other issues; provides academic and other counseling services; offers scholarships specifically for military students and veterans; and maintains a wide range of online and distance learning programs that provide students with flexibility in scheduling. Southeastern’s ROTC program, which is a sub-unit of the Southern University Army ROTC program, returned to Hammond in 2016 after more than a 20-year hiatus, and continues to grow. Approximately 60 students now participate in the program.
A recent addition to campus is the Southeastern Student Veterans & Military Interest Association, a group open to veterans, reservists, spouses, dependents, and ROTC participants attending both Southeastern and Northshore Technical Community College. The association was founded to help the school administration better understand and meet the needs of veterans, offer advice from experienced to incoming veterans, help civilians better understand the military experience, and provide opportunities for veterans to meet one another and connect.
Additionally, in August 2018 Southeastern began serving as a resource center for thousands of Louisiana veterans in an effort to help active-duty military service men and women successfully transition to college through a new program called LaVetCorps. The program will open 30 resource centers on campuses statewide to increase a student veteran’s access to state and federal benefits.
“Post-secondary institutions earning the 2019 Military Friendly School award have exceptionally strong programs for transitioning service members and spouses,” said Daniel Nichols, chief product officer of Viqtory Media. “Our Military Friendly Schools are truly aligning their military programs and services with employers to help students translate military experience, skills, and training into successful careers after graduation.”
