September 12, 2024

Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Designates “Gold Status” to Michigan State University for Ninth Consecutive Year

When it comes to Veteran-Friendly Schools (VFS), Michigan State University (MSU) ranks among the best in the state. In its annual ranking list, the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency designated MSU its “gold status” for the ninth consecutive year. The ranking recognizes higher education institutions for their unwavering dedication to improving experiences for military-connected learners and to fostering innovation in support of veterans.

“The Student Veterans Resource Center is a small office, and we often rely on help from the campus community to support our Spartan veterans and military families,” said Patrick Forystek, director of the MSU Student Veterans Resource Center. “With this being MSU's ninth year receiving this designation, it speaks to that community commitment to supporting military-connected students.”

MSU has received gold status since the VFS program’s inception in 2015-16. Institutions are awarded Gold-, Silver- and Bronze-level status based on their veteran-centric services and programs. MSU’s Student Veterans Resource Center, within the Division of Student Life & Engagement, provides programs and services to support student veterans and their families at MSU.

To become a Veteran-Friendly School with gold-level status, universities, colleges or trade schools must meet at least six of the following criteria:

1.    Established process for identification of current student veterans
2.    Veteran-specific website
3.    Active student veteran organization or club
4.    Veteran-specific career services, resources, advising, and/or outcome monitoring
5.    On-campus veterans’ coordinator and/or designated staff point of contact
6.    System to evaluate and award academic credit based on prior military training and experience
7.    Monitoring and evaluation of student veteran academic retention, progress, and graduation rates

“We have seen the criteria evolve with the needs of military-connected students, and to be recognized as a gold-level institution shows we are capable of adjusting our services to meet those changing student needs,” Forystek said.

Student veterans are an important part of the MSU community. With more than 400 student veterans and more than 2,000 military-affiliated students calling MSU home, the university continues to show it has the infrastructure and the services to support veterans in all the ways they need to be successful.
 


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