Alfred University recognized with Military Friendly Schools designation

ALFRED, NY – Alfred University is included on a list of colleges and universities recognized for its programs serving members of the military and veteran community.

Military Friendly recently announced its official list of institutions of higher education that earned 2022-23 Military Friendly School designation. More than 1,800 colleges and universities participated in a survey conducted by Viqtory Media, a Pittsburgh-based veteran-owned marketing organization and publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine. Just 665 schools earned Military Friendly Schools designation in three levels: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Alfred University was awarded the Silver Military Friendly Schools Designation.

Viqtory Media—which connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs and Military Friendly brands—conducts surveys aimed at identifying organizations, including institutions of higher education, committed to serving the military and veteran community.

The Military Friendly Schools survey is the longest-running most comprehensive review of college and university investments in serving military and veteran students. Survey questions, methodology, criteria, and weighting were developed with the assistance from an independent research firm and advisory council of educators. The survey measures schools’ ability to meet thresholds for retention, graduation, job placement, repayment, persistence, and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

The 2022-­2023 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in G.I. Jobs magazine’s May issue.

Alfred University’s Military Affairs program was started in the fall of 2019 by alumnus Dillon Smith ’19, ’21 MSEd, as part of his graduate assistantship. Services provided through the program include an on-campus resource center where veterans and military-affiliated students can get information on services available to them in areas such as tutoring and career development, and learn how to maximize the financial benefits available to them; a system where students can more easily sign up for Military Science classes; and development of on-line coursework for veterans and active-duty military personnel.

Over the last three years, the University has worked to revitalize its Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program. The University also awards ROTC scholarships and academic credit for Military Science coursework.

Smith, who earned a bachelor’s criminal justice and experimental psychology and a master’s degree in college student development from Alfred University, is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army National Guard. He served as military and academic coach in Alfred University’s Pamela L. Bernstein Center for Academic Advising.

Alfred University has a long and storied connection to the U.S. military. Every male member of the Class of 1861 at Alfred went off to fight for the Union during the Civil War. During the World War era, the University hosted an Army Specialized Training Program unit on campus, housed in the Brick residence hall. Students and local residents trained in preparation for combat, and many were called to serve during the World Wars. The University has had an ROTC program since 1952.