Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University is being recognized as a 2019 top 10 Military Friendly school for its commitment to supporting service members, veterans and their dependents.
The distinction was recently awarded to MSU by VIQTORY, formerly Victory Media, which annually evaluates post-secondary schools for support of student veterans. For the second consecutive year, MSU has earned the Military Friendly Gold Medal.
Building on historical military roots, MSU has long been recognized as one of the nation’s most veteran-friendly universities. Including dependents, the veteran community at MSU now comprises 2,810 students. These students are served by MSU’s G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans and a network of specially trained university personnel.
The Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans is led by Brian Locke, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. Locke said MSU continues to look for ways to do more for veterans. Recently, MSU has worked with the Mississippi National Guard to create a free tuition program for Guard members enrolled full time at MSU, and the university has waived application fees for undergraduate and graduate student veterans.
“I am proud to belong to a university that strives to support all of our military-connected students,” Locke said. “Many universities claim to be military friendly, but here at Mississippi State we prove it through our actions. This recognition is further evidence of the promises and commitment we make to all of our service members, veterans and dependents who choose Mississippi State to pursue their educational goals.”
In 2016, MSU completed construction of the G. V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans at Nusz Hall, a 7,500 square-foot campus facility featuring administrative offices, meeting areas, study rooms, a computer lab, and indoor and outdoor spaces for social and recreational activities. The center serves as a one-stop shop for processing of all veteran educational benefits.
This year, MSU was ranked No. 5 among tier 2 research universities by VIQTORY, placing it among the top schools for military personnel and their students. After data was gathered for this year’s Military Friendly rankings, MSU became a Carnegie Foundation “Very High Research Activity,” or tier 1, institution. This classification represents the highest level of research activity for doctorate-granting universities in the country.
MSU was designated a “Purple Heart University” in 2015 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart for outstanding service to military veterans, service members, dependents and survivors.
VIQTORY’s evaluation showed that MSU exceeded standards in all measured categories, including culture, financial aid, military student support and retention, as well as academic policies and compliance. For more, see https://www.militaryfriendly.com/schools/mississippi-state-university/.
For more on MSU’s services available to veterans, visit www.veterans.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.