The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith recently received the Military Friendly School designation for 2017 from Victory Media, publisher of the G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazines.
Institutions earning the designation were evaluated using various data – including student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, educational persistence, and loan default rates, in addition to responses from a survey by Victory Media.
Additionally, the university boasts resources for students, such as the Student Veterans Organization and the Student Veteran Resource Center in the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center, to help veterans navigate their college education.
Nathan Whorton of Charleston, a veteran currently attending UAFS, said that UAFS “was a good fit with my military background and experience.”
“When I came to the UAFS campus for the first time, a representative of the Student Veterans Organization introduced themselves and showed me the veteran center,” Whorton said. “I felt very welcome, and I’m so glad that I chose this school. It’s been wonderful to be able to network with other veterans and people facing similar challenges as me.”
Whorton added that the UAFS staff – specifically Dawn Webster, veteran’s coordinator for the Financial Aid Office – has been enormously helpful.
“Mrs. Webster is so nice and very approachable. If I see her around campus and ask her a question about school, she will stop and help me and not tell me to make an appointment,” Whorton said. “She truly cares about veterans, and that shows in her willingness to help them navigate through the college process. There are other veterans that assist her that are also the same way. They take away the anxiety of the college process with their positive attitude and great personality.”
2016 marks the sixth year UAFS has received the military friendly designation, and the university will be showcased along with other 2017 Military Friendly Schools in an annual guide to Military Friendly Schools and special education issues of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse Magazine.
Founded in 2001, Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur, STEM Jobs SM and Military Friendly brands. Learn more about Victory Media at www.victorymedia.com.
For more information about services UAFS provides for veterans, visit http://admissions.uafs.edu/veterans/veteran-services or contact Webster at 479-788-7092 or dawn.webster@uafs.edu.
About the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith
The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith is the premiere regional institution of Western Arkansas, connecting education with careers and serving as a driver of economic development and quality of place in the greater Fort Smith region. Through a small campus, dedicated professors, and the university’s unique bond with its community, students at UAFS are able to do more in the areas they are passionate about, both on- and off-campus, in a way that prepares them for post-graduate success. To find out how you can do more at UAFS, visit www.uafs.edu.