Stockton College Veterans Affairs program receives recognition by Military Times

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey has been named to the “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” listing by Military Times, an organization comprised of the Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times, which is published by Gannett Government Media. The recognition is for the school’s Veterans Affairs program, which began in 2008 and serves over 400 veterans and active-duty service members.

“Our student veterans lead the region with veteran graduation rates at over 94 percent, and they excel academically as well,” President Herman Saatkamp said in a release.

Photo via Stockton College
The college is number 15 on
the list of four-year schools.

Stockton’s veterans program, ranked 22nd among 100 four-year schools, includes a full-time veterans counselor, a faculty resource team and a separate orientation for veteran students as well as a veterans’ lounge. Through the Office of Veteran Affairs, veterans and service members can explore eligibility for G.I. education benefits, receive referrals to a variety of support services and connect with their fellow veterans by becoming a part of Stockton’s Student Veterans Organization.

The “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” listing is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many factors that make an organization a good fit for service members, military veterans and their families, Military Times said in a statement. In their fifth year, the rankings factor in the most comprehensive school-by-school assessment of veteran and military students’ success rates.

According to Military Times, the comprehensive survey requires schools to thoroughly document a tremendous array of services, special rules, accommodations and financial incentives offered to military and veteran students and to describe many aspects of veteran culture on a campus.

“We factor in what is, to our knowledge, the most detailed school-by-school data on veteran students’ academic success anywhere, including graduation, retention, persistence and course completion rates,” said Amanda Miller, editor of “Best for Vets.” “Two years ago, only 11 percent of the hundreds of schools surveyed could provide that level of detail. This year, that figure is up to 45 percent. By recognizing only the schools that do the most, we believe we’re helping to raise the bar in veteran student services.”

To view the full “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” rankings, visit militarytimes.com/bestforvets-colleges2015.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.