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Bradley earns recognition as a military-friendly school

Bradley University has been named a “Military Friendly School” by Victory Media, a career guidance company. This designation is awarded to the top 15 percent of schools who are embracing America’s military service members and their success as students.

Greg Haines, member of the admission and retention committee, said the designation is important to the university.

“I work with the [veteran] student organization; if they have any concerns, questions or issues that are raised … we can resolve those and work on different initiatives to advance their experience,” Haines said. “We were hearing some buzz about some concerns our veterans were having on campus, and I decided to take this [role] so they have somewhere to go or someone to ask questions.”

Bradley University earned this designation through many accomplishments, including exceeding the standard of culture and commitment to veterans by 35 percent, per Victory Media’s website.

“These types of designations require years of work that had to be done to establish ourselves as a reputable source for veterans,” Haines said. “This [designation] is a good source for veterans to go and find out which schools are most accepting for them.”

There are over 60 military service members who are veterans currently enrolled at Bradley. According to Haines, veterans have different needs and challenges that need to be acknowledged. Veterans are looking for a school that will support them, understand them and value their experience as a service member, Haines said.

The Bradley University Veteran’s Support Services has been an instrumental part of Bradley’s ongoing effort to become even more military-friendly and hosts the annual Veteran’s Day program on campus.

Other services include free access to tutoring through Bradley’s Center for Learning Assistance, a network of staff who are veterans and designated rooms (like a newly renovated lounge in Heitz Hall) veterans can utilize.

According to Haines, there is expected to be a push in the next few years to make Bradley even more accommodating for veterans. The effort to educate students and faculty on the transition from military to campus life has been dubbed the “Green Zone Initiative” and has been undertaken at similar universities. Haines said Bradley also plans to connect veterans with other community organizations available to service members.

Many veterans are highly active on campus, according to Haines.

“A lot of these students want to improve the system; they want to take their degree and use it for support,” Haines said. “They want to give back.”

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