West Liberty University has been named to the Military Friendly Schools for 2014. The Military Friendly Schools ® list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensuring their success on campus. 
“Inclusion on the 2014 list of Military Friendly Schools shows West Liberty University’s commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students,” said Victory Media Vice President Sean Collins. Collins leads the organization that compiles and releases the list every fall.
“We are happy to work with veterans and we offer several degrees especially appealing to non-traditional students. Here at the Highlands Center, we offer two fast track degree programs, the Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Administration (BLA), and our Regents Bachelor of Arts,” said Dr. Thomas Michaud, dean of the School of Professional Studies, located at the Highlands Center.
The BLA program also is offering cohorts in New Martinsville (begins January 2014) and Weirton, thanks to a partnership with West Virginia Northern Community College.
“We make an affordable degree available that fits the adult schedule,” Michaud said. “The School of Professional Studies has plenty of experience in translating military transcripts into university credits and we also offer the opportunity for veterans to obtain college credit based on their prior work experience, in the military and otherwise. West Liberty University also has a veterans’ advisor who is skilled in helping vets make the most of their GI Bill options.”
Now in its fifth year, the 2014 list of Military Friendly Schools ® was compiled through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 10,000 VA-approved schools nationwide. The survey results that comprise the 2014 list were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media.
Each year schools taking the survey are held to a higher standard than the previous year via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) consisting of educators from schools across the country.
A full story and detailed list of 2014 Military Friendly Schools ® will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools ®, distributed in print and digital format to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in early October.
The premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business founded in 2001.
West Liberty University is a forward-looking, four-year public university steeped in a rich heritage as West Virginia’s oldest institution of higher education. For more information, please call 1.866.WESTLIB. To contact Michaud or the Highlands Center, please call 304.217.2800.