SUNY Potsdam Named to Two Different Military-Friendly Lists for 2017

POTSDAM, NY (12/23/2016)(readMedia)-- The State University of New York at Potsdam has been honored as a military-friendly institution by two different publications once again this year.

SUNY Potsdam has been selected as a 2017 Military-Friendly School by Victoria Media, which publishes G.I. Jobs magazine. In addition, SUNY Potsdam was also chosen as a Top School in the 2017 Military Advanced Education & Transition Guide to Colleges and Universities.

More than 150 active-duty service members, veterans and their family members are currently enrolled as undergraduate and graduate SUNY Potsdam students, either on the Potsdam main campus or through the College's Extension Center in Watertown, N.Y., located on the campus of Jefferson Community College in close proximity to Fort Drum.

Patrick Massaro serves as the veterans and military services coordinator for both SUNY Potsdam and neighboring SUNY Canton. A graduate of both institutions, he is also a Captain in the U.S. Marine Reserves.

"It has been welcoming, seeing the services offered to Department of Defense ID card holders at SUNY Potsdam. I commute from the Fort Drum area daily, and it's nice to walk right into the library and get a coffee. I also like how Maxcy gym allows anyone with a military ID to use the facilities as well," said U.S. Army veteran Matthew King '18, who is majoring in environmental studies. "The teaching staff has been amazing with their consideration of my time. From drills with the National Guard to participating in the Clarkson ROTC program, my professors have been more than accommodating and understanding. Patrick Massaro has assisted me remarkably with every step of my transfer to SUNY Potsdam."

The 2017 Military Friendly Schools list from G.I. Jobs honors the top colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students and to dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom after graduation.

For the 2017 guide, Victory Media added three data sources to its scoring methodology: publicly available data from federal agencies, personal opinion data from veteran students and proprietary Military Friendly survey data from participating institutions. Final results were determined by combining an organization's survey scores with an assessment of its ability to meet minimum thresholds in six areas critical to success, including student veteran retention, job placement, loan repayment, persistence and loan default rates.

The Military Advanced Education & Transition Guide to Colleges and Universities presents results of a questionnaire of the military-supportive policies enacted at hundreds of institutions, including private, public, for-profit, not-for-profit, four-year, and two-year colleges. From community colleges to state universities, online universities and nationally known centers of higher learning, the guide arms students with information about institutions that go out of their way to give back to our men and women in uniform.

Now in its tenth year of publishing the guide, MA&T was the first publication to launch a reference tool of this type. This year, institutions were evaluated on their military culture, financial aid, flexibility, on-campus support and online support services. Each school's performance rating by category is represented by an easy-to-recognize dashboard. This enables prospective students to quickly target schools that follow best practices in military education, and then put these in context with other academic or career considerations.

SUNY Potsdam courses of study offered in Watertown that particularly benefit military members and their families include a business administration bachelor's degree program and a graduate program in organizational leadership. For more information, please contact the SUNY Potsdam Extended Education Office at (315) 267-2166 or email exted@potsdam.edu.

To learn more about veteran and military services at SUNY Potsdam, visit www.potsdam.edu/studentlife/services/military.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges-and the oldest institution within SUNY. As the College marks its bicentennial in 2016, SUNY Potsdam is celebrating a 200-year legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and leadership in the arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently completed Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which raised $33.5 million for scholarships and programs.

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