UT has been named a 2021–22 Military Friendly Gold School. The Gold award ranking is Military Friendly’s highest designation.
UT is one of 747 institutions earning the designation out of 1,200 that were evaluated. Only 162 schools received the Gold award.
“It is an honor for the Veterans Success Center at UT Knoxville to be awarded Gold status as a military-friendly school,” said Jayetta Rogers, director of the center. “The practice of offering our military service members a supportive and positive experience during their time on campus creates an outcome that leads to success well beyond graduation.”
Established in 2017, the Veterans Success Center is uniquely qualified to enrich the transition to UT for student veterans and military-affiliated students, with tailored services that enhance academic success and holistic development. The center supports more than a thousand Vol veterans and military-affiliated spouses and children, including active duty, Army Reserve and National Guard, military families, and survivors. In line with the Division of Student Success mission to engage each student’s experience by supporting their unique strengths and goals, the Veterans Success Center integrates the foundational philosophy of serving those who have served to enrich each student’s academic and career path.
“We are proud of this recognition; however, our student veterans’ success and the achievement of their academic and career goals are the real milestones that are valued and celebrated, and we will continue to make our student veterans the priority,” said Amber Williams, vice provost for student success. “This ranking is a reflection of our commitment to providing transformative academic opportunities for our student veterans.”
The Military Friendly Schools list is published annually based on extensive research using public data sources, student veteran input, and survey responses. Schools were measured by their ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence, and loan default rates for all students and specifically for student veterans.
—
CONTACT
Maddie Stephens (865-974-3993, msteph44@utk.edu)
Lacey Wood (865-974-8386, lsmiths1@utk.edu)