JOHNSON CITY (September 18, 2012) — G.I. Jobs magazine has again named East Tennessee State University as a “Military Friendly School.” This distinction places ETSU in the top 15 percent of more than 12,000 Veterans Administration-approved colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide. The institution will appear in the 2013 Guide to Military Friendly Schools, a publication that caters to the eight million military troops and veterans eligible for GI Bill education benefits.

ETSU Veterans Affairs Coordinator Kevin Flanary says, “We are proud to have received this award for the past four consecutive years, but we are even more honored and humbled to assist America’s heroes as they transition from combat to the classroom. Being identified as Military Friendly is not just a title, but a responsibility that we take very seriously.”

In 1946, what was then East Tennessee State College welcomed 250 World War II veterans, and ETSU continues that tradition today. The school houses a Veterans Affairs Office and a Veterans Upward Bound program. In addition, the ETSU Veterans Affairs Standing Committee, comprised of faculty, staff and student veterans, addresses veterans’ issues on campus. This past year, a chapter of the Student Veterans of America was established at ETSU.

Flanary points out, “More than 560 ETSU student veterans are using Montgomery GI Bill benefits to achieve their higher education goals. In addition, the university works closely with Reserve and National Guard members who are deployed and offers complete reimbursement of tuition and fees for that semester.”

The ETSU Department of Military Science has helped guide the campus toward “veteran awareness.” Since 1952, when the university’s application for an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) unit was accepted, the “Buccaneer Battalion” has commissioned over 1,400 student Cadets as second lieutenants, including seven who have reached the general officer ranks within the Army.

Today, ETSU ROTC graduates continue to serve across the nation and around the world—on active duty and as members of the Army Reserve and National Guard. A number of current Cadets are also veterans who served in the Army prior to attending ETSU. ROTC scholarships and other financial benefits assist them and other qualified veterans as they pursue their education.

For further information, contact Flanary at (423) 439-6819 or flanarykt@etsu.edu.