‘Top School’ designation

Military Advanced Education & Transition (MAE&T) has once again awarded Upper Iowa University the designation of a “Top School” in its 2016 MAE&T Guide to Colleges & Universities, measuring best practices in military and veteran education.

Now in its ninth year of publishing the guide, MAE&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, general support, 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.

“This recognition is a testament to the wide variety of programming and services offered to our nation’s military personnel by Upper Iowa University,” said Wayne Converse, UIU coordinator of military programs. “The Upper Iowa faculty and staff greatly appreciate the commitment it takes for our servicemen and –women to serve our country. In turn, we are deeply honored to provide each of them the opportunity to fulfill their personal educational and career objectives.”

Converse explained that military personnel may attend one of the University’s five on-base military educational centers or if currently a member of the civilian community, the students may attend classes at one of UIU’s education centers in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona or Louisiana. Students may also earn their degrees from anywhere in the world through online self-paced study programs.

Released in December, the MAE&T Guide presents results of a questionnaire of the military-supportive policies enacted at more than 600 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, MAE&T’s 2016 Guide to Colleges & Universities arms students with information about institutions that go out of their way to give back to our men and women in uniform.

With input from an advisory board of educational and government experts, and criteria based on recommendations from the VA and military services, MAE&T’s Guide to Colleges and Universities provides the foundational information a prospective student would use in framing his or her educational needs.

Not only is the 2016 guide printed in the December issue of Military Advanced Education &Transition, but also published in a searchable database online. Students will have access to all the survey questions and answers provided by the schools, as well as explanations about critical issues like activation and deployment policies, withdrawal policies, scholarship and financial aid information and important support information.

Military Advanced Education & Transition is the journal of higher education for servicemembers and veterans making the transition from military to the civilian sector. Visit www.mae-kmi.com for online access to MAE&T’s 2016 Guide to Colleges and Universities.

For additional information about Upper Iowa University, military personnel and veterans may contact Chad Cook, UIU director of military and veteran services, at 563-425-5507 or email cookc30@uiu.edu.