College’s leading practices, outcomes and effective programs for military spouses recognized
Military Friendly® announced that Inver Hills Community College made the official list of schools having earned the 2021–2022 Military Spouse Friendly® School designation. Institutions earning the Military Spouse Friendly® School designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey.
More than 1,200 schools participated in the 2021–2022 survey, with 747 schools earning the designation as a Military Friendly® School, of which 194 were selected for the Military Spouse Friendly Schools list.
Inver Hills was designated as a Military Spouse Friendly® School for the college’s leading practices, outcomes and effective programs for military spouses. The 2021–2022 Military Spouse Friendly® Schools list will be published in Military Spouse magazine’s May issue.
Sue Flannigan: Military & Veteran Services Coordinator perspective…
Sue Flannigan serves as military and veteran services coordinator and school certifying official at Inver Hills. Sue recently received the first-ever Outstanding Service Award from the Minnesota Army National Guard Education Services Office. She reported that in February of this year the college was designated a Military Friendly® School for the 2021–2022 Military Friendly® Cycle, receiving a Bronze ranking in the Small Community College category.
“We are grateful to our men and women who have served their country,” Sue said, “and that gratitude includes family members—as they all serve. Many times, family members are forgotten. When military service members are deployed, their families, too, are making adjustments in life, and we need to help them through those times.”
Sue noted that the college’s Military & Veteran Services Office, counselors and Yellow Ribbon Committee members continue to support the campus military and veteran population.
“We all work together to provide seamless, wraparound services so that our veteran and military students can continue their educational journeys and be successful,” she said.
Military Friendly® methodology…
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey response set and government/agency public data sources within a logic-based scoring assessment. We measure the institution’s ability to meet thresholds in the following areas:
- Student retention
- Graduation
- Job placement
- Loan repayment, Persistence (degree advancement or transfer)
- Loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans
“Military Friendly® is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process,” stated Kayla Lopez, Military Friendly® national director of military partnerships. “This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to evolve and invest in their programs consistently and with purpose. Schools who achieve designation show true commitment and dedication in their efforts.”
National Director Lopez added that Military Friendly® standards assist schools by providing a benchmark that promotes positive educational outcomes, resources, and support services that focus on the betterment of the educational landscape and providing positive outcomes and economic opportunity for the military community.
About Military Friendly® Schools…
The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly® Schools survey from participating institutions.
The survey questions, methodology, criteria, and weighting were developed with an independent research firm’s assistance and an advisory council of educators and employers. The survey is administered for free and is open to all postsecondary schools that wish to participate.
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About VIQTORY…
Founded in 2001, VIQTORY is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs® and Military Friendly® brands.
VIQTORY and its brands are not a part of or endorsed by the U.S. Dept of Defense or any federal government entity.
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Military & Veteran Services at Inver Hills
Since 1982, Inver Hills has worked to promote strong relationships with our veterans, service members and their families. The college provides a comprehensive, veteran-specific array of support services, scholarships and networking and employment opportunities while collaborating with area communities and agencies.
Military & Veterans Services has teamed up with Inver Hills counselors to make sure our military/student veterans and service members adapt to college life and achieve their career goals.
Best for Vets ranked Inver Hills #5 nationwide and #1 in Minnesota among two-year schools for excellent veteran and military student success. Best for Vets is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many criteria that make an organization a good fit for service members, military veterans and their families.
If you are a veteran, service member or dependent using your veteran benefits to attend college, Inver Hills acts as your liaison with the Veterans Administration. Our campus is home to a spacious Military & Veterans Lounge and the John H. Thill Veterans Resource Center.
Veterans and military students make up the single largest constituent group in the college’s campus community. Inver Hills has been named a Military Friendly® School since 2010.
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For more information about Military & Veteran Services at Inver Hills, contact:
Sue Flannigan
Military & Veteran Services Coordinator
School Certifying Official
651-450-3862
Learn more about Military Friendly® by contacting:
Kayla Lopez
National Director of Military Partnerships
Military Friendly
