NMU has been rated as one of the top military-friendly schools in the nation for the 2011 school year, according to the military magazine, G.I. Jobs. This list is compiled of schools that have done their part to embrace  students that have served in the military.

G.I. Jobs polls more than 7,000 schools every year all around the nation. The top 15 percent are rated as military-friendly. This list shows veterans which schools are the best to fit their needs.

In order to be considered for this recognition, universities, trade schools and colleges must show that they have put in an effort to recruit and retain military and veteran students. This is the second consecutive year that NMU has received this distinction.

NMU helps many veteran soldiers with financial aid and getting credit for their service. Soldiers take classes in the military that can help them once they are no longer serving.

One of the criteria for becoming a military-friendly school is the recruitment of veterans. Current veteran students are the one’s who do the actual recruiting, said Capt. Ben Hormann, NMU’s Executive Officer and assistant professor of military science.

“It’s mainly soldiers talking to other soldiers and talking about what credits they received because of their basic training,” he said.

If a student has served in the military, once they get to NMU they only have to take a few classes and they will have a military science minor. This brings many veterans in because of the small amount of classes they have to take, Hormann said.

On top of the military science classes, if a veteran worked in a specific branch of the military, such as Communications, they could be eligible for even more credits in that department.

There isn’t one specific person who helps veterans get credit for their duty so the secretary in the military science office, Susan Henderson, has taken over that job.

“There are a lot of schools that don’t give credit for service in the military,” said Henderson. “All of our departments work together to get our veteran students credit for the work they have already done.”

There are a number of students who have served in the military that go to school at NMU, said Lt. Col. Kyle Rambo, the head of the department of military science and a professor of military science.

“There are even some students who are still soldiers in active duty that attend school at NMU because of the amount of benefits they are offered,” said Rambo.

Not only does NMU offer veterans credit for courses, there are also financial aid benefits that veterans can apply for. On top of the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and the Montgomery G.I. Bill, all veterans can receive a scholarship worth $500 if they are eligible. The requirements for this scholarship can be found on the financial aid section of the NMU web page.