Southwestern College has been named a 2008 Top Military Friendly Colleges and Universities honoree by “Military Advanced Education” magazine.

The competition drew hundreds of applications from across the nation, and only 60 schools were designated the most military-friendly.

“We are delighted to be recognized in this way,” says President Dick Merriman. “Our strategic goal to serve a military population began eight years ago, and since then we’ve tried to take every opportunity to increase our presence among our men and women in uniform.” 

Merriman pointed to the efforts of Karen Pedersen, vice president for Professional Studies, and other Professional Studies personnel as key to accomplishing the goal.

Military learners account for about 60% of Professional Studies total enrollment, and each six-week session includes about 700 military/veteran learners. The school has memoranda of agreement with McConnell Air Force Base, and with Fort Riley.  It is an AU-ABC (Air University—Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative), and participates in eArmyU and GoArmyEd. SC also is a charter member of AeX of US Marine Corps Lifelong Learning Program, Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), and the SOC Degree Network System. 

The college is deliberate in its efforts to help military personnel complete bachelor’s degrees, Pedersen adds. All programs are completely online, with no charge for transfer hours, no proctored exams, and no application for admission fee. As with all professional studies learners, military personnel can take classes when convenient, and sit out sessions when needed.  SC transfers up to 64 hours of military training toward a bachelor’s degree and will consider military training that has been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) at the graduate level to count toward a master’s degree.

Beyond the classroom, Pedersen adds, SC believes in employing individuals with roots in the military community.  Many of our staff are veterans, in the reserve and guard, or are military spouses/dependents, she says.  

For more information on Southwestern College Professional Studies military-friendly initiatives, contact the college at info@southwesterncollege.org.