(Posted August 16, 2010)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College has been named as one of 65 institutions in Pennsylvania to be rated as a Military-Friendly School by GI Jobs magazine. Juniata will be included in the magazine's separate publication "2011 Guide to Military Friendly Schools."

"Thanks to Juniata's Program for Area Residents Program, which lets returning adult students attend Juniata for half-tuition, and the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Juniata has become much more affordable for veterans," says Tom Kepple, president of Juniata.

"Thanks to Juniata's Program for Area Residents Program, which lets returning adult students attend Juniata for half-tuition, and the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Juniata has become much more affordable for veterans."

Tom Kepple, president of Juniata.

The Military Friendly School list includes the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade school that are implementing programs that embrace veterans as students.

In previous generations, particularly for the Vietnam Veterans GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill, the tuition benefits available to veterans made large state universities more attractive to veterans.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill offers tuition for private colleges equal to the highest tuition charged by a state university in the state where the veteran lives. In addition, if a private college participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, the tuition bill for veterans can be reduced as well. The new legislation also provides money for books and a housing allowance.

"Military students bring a high degree of maturity, life experiences, diversity, leadership and worldliness to the classroom. Other students and faculty benefit from the different perspectives that service members and veterans bring," says Dorothy Bassett, dean of Duquesne University's School of Leadership and Professional Advancement.

"This list is especially important now because the Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school," said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. "Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they're academically qualified."

G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools nationwide.
Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.