COD Named 2013 'Military Friendly School'

By Robyn Johnson

For the fourth consecutive year, College of DuPage has been named a "Military Friendly School" by G.I. Jobs, the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life. The 2013 Military Friendly Schools® list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are cited with doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans and spouses.

Click here for a complete list of 2013 Military Friendly Schools.

"College of DuPage has made a strong commitment to our veterans and their families - we work very hard to make their transition to college and civilian life as seamless and successful as possible," said Shelly Mencacci, COD Veterans Services Coodinator. "We're proud to be named to the prestigious Military Friendly Schools list again this year. This resource guides students in the selection of institutions that will sincerely assist with their higher education goals."

The 1,739 schools on this year's Military Friendly list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. These schools offer "world-class programs and policies for student support on campus, academic accreditation, credit policies, flexibility, and other services to those who served," said Sean Collins, Director for G.I. Jobs and Vice President of Victory Media.

Earlier this year, College of DuPage was the first community college ever to receive the Governor's Award for Excellence in Education by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The College's Veteran Services Office assists more than 1,000 veterans annually with information on financial aid, the VA work study program, referrals for specialized veterans counseling, and social and educational programs. Additionally, the College has a Veterans Lounge on its Glen Ellyn campus, hosts job fairs and pre-job fair workshops to help veterans seeking employment, and is the first College in Illinois to offer a Veterans Counseling certificate.

Now in its fourth year, the 2013 list of Military Friendly Schools® was compiled through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 12,000 VA-approved schools nationwide. Click here for the methodology used to compile this list.

For more information about COD's Veterans Services, visit www.cod.edu/admission/veterans or call (630) 942-3814.