GVSU listed among 'military friendly' schools

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- Grand Valley State University was among the colleges and universities listed by a magazine as being "military friendly" and doing the most to embrace U.S. veterans as students.

The magazine “GI Jobs” released its list, 2010 Military Friendly Schools, on August 17; it lists the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that make it easy for veterans to enroll, have supportive programs for veterans and military spouses, and recruit and retain veterans as students. The list is online at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/mfspr .

This news comes when veterans will enroll in colleges using the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which was enacted on August 1. The bill provides financial support for education and housing to individuals with at least 90 days of service on or after September 11, 2001.

John Koch plans to use the tuition benefits to earn a master’s degree in social work from Grand Valley. Koch served in the Army with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps as an attorney. He earned a law degree from the University of Nebraska, but seeks a social work background in order to eventually find a job to assist veterans programs.

After serving in Iraq, Koch was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, where many veterans recuperate from injuries. “I developed a sense of how much we need to take care of these people while I was at Fort Hood,” Koch said. “The Army is good at keeping people alive and helping them recover from their injuries, but how do we help them adjust to life after the Army?”

Steven Lipnicki, director of Pew Student Services, said about 100 veterans are expected to enroll at Grand Valley for the fall semester. The university has created a Veterans Network of faculty and staff members who are knowledgeable about veterans issues; this group includes representatives from Admissions, Disability Support Services, Financial Aid, Registrar, Academic Advising, and Career Services. A Web site was also created, www.gvsu.edu/veterans .