SUNY Canton Receives Multiple Honors for Military Friendliness

CANTON, NY (12/26/2016)(readMedia)-- SUNY Canton is continuing its reputation as a top school for military members and veterans by earning endorsements from three armed forces trade publications.

G.I. Jobs, Military Times, and Military Advanced Education & Transition magazines have all selected SUNY Canton to be included in their respective 2017 "best of" college guides. The publications based their rankings on criteria such as academic and staff support, affordability, student retention, and overall military-friendly culture.

"Meeting the educational needs of the men and women who have served our country, as well as their family members, is a priority and point of pride at SUNY Canton," said President Zvi Szafran. "Fortunately, due to our close proximity to Fort Drum, we have had the opportunity to collaborate on a number of initiatives in 2016 that are designed to either support soldiers who are transitioning to college life or help train those who want to enter the civilian work force immediately."

SUNY Canton began offering a five-week course at Fort Drum in January to provide service members with the skills needed to work in the solar energy industry. The program, called "Solar Ready Vets," is a collaboration among solar installation companies, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Fort Drum, the U.S. Department of Energy, and SUNY Canton's Career Ready Education and Success Training (CREST) Center for Workforce Development.

To date, 108 Army personnel have graduated from the program and many are working in the field as installers, sales representatives and project managers for regional and national companies.

In addition, SUNY Canton and Jefferson Community College received $500,000 from the State University of New York to implement a joint initiative called "Transitioning Veterans from Boots to Books and Beyond." The program will provide support services exclusively for former military members, primarily from Fort Drum, who are transitioning to a college environment.

In 2016 SUNY Canton also partnered with the New York State Industries for the Disabled Inc. and St. Lawrence NYSARC to establish a "Battle Buddy" Center on campus. The center encourages camaraderie among veteran students and offers a space that allows them to seek out the support they need.

This is the sixth year in a row the college has been named to the G.I. Jobs list, and the publication chose SUNY Canton as a recipient of its Gold-level award, a new category this year. Military Times recognized the college twice, while Military Advanced Education & Transition has designated SUNY Canton as a top school for the fourth time.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 11 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 15 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III.

-www.canton.edu-