UH West O'ahu selected for 2010 list of military friendly schools

University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu
Contact:
Ryan Mielke, (808) 454-4750
Executive Director of Public Affairs, Chancellor's Office
Posted: Aug 24, 2009

The University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu was recently named among a select group of higher education institutions nationwide for inclusion in the 2010 List of Military Friendly Schools. 

The list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students. Schools on the list range from state universities and private colleges to community colleges and trade schools. The common bond, according to a statement released by G.I. Jobs, is their shared priority of recruiting students with military experience.

UH West O‘ahu’s Pearl City campus, as well as its future campus in Kapolei, is conveniently located for access by Hawai‘i’s many military veterans as well as active duty members and their families located at Schofield Barracks, Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Hickam Air Force Base.

“We place a priority on ensuring all of our students get a first-rate education, and we welcome veterans and others in our military community to include us in their higher education goals,” said Gene Awakuni, UH West Oʻahu chancellor and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. “While it is great to be recognized as a military friendly school, it does not necessarily come as a surprise to the many veterans, active duty, Guard, Reserves, and military family members who have graduated from our programs. It is great to know that we can be a part of their success, wherever they go from here.”

The tens of billions of dollars in tuition money, now available with the recent passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, has intensified an already strong desire by colleges to court veterans into their classrooms, according to G.I. Jobs. “This list is especially important now because the recently enacted Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school,” said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher.

The list was compiled through exhaustive research starting last May during which G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) consisting of educators and administrators from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Toledo, Duquesne University, Coastline Community College and Lincoln Technical Institute.

A full story and detailed list of Military Friendly Schools will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools and on a poster, both of which will be distributed to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in September. A new Web site, found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com, will launch in September with interactive tools and search functionality to assist military veterans in choosing schools that best meet their educational needs. Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations.

ABOUT G.I. Jobs: G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com) is published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa.   The 2010 Military-Friendly School List can be found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/mfspr


 
About UH West O‘ahu

UH West O‘ahu became a four-year, comprehensive university when it served its first class of freshmen in fall 2007. The University offers quality education, small classes and personalized attention at convenient locations. UH West O‘ahu held a ground blessing ceremony in January in anticipation of the start of construction for a state-of-the art, new campus in the City of Kapolei. For more information, visit http://www.uhwo.hawaii.edu, http://www.twitter.com/uhwestoahu, http://www.facebook.com/uhwestoahu or call 454-4700 or toll-free (866) 299-8656.