Photo caption: The Veterans Center remodel was officially unveiled on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2021, with an open-house event for invited guests and generous project donors. The center serves as a hub for student veterans and it houses the office for veteran services.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire maintained its silver ranking as a military-friendly institution in an annual survey of nearly 1,800 postsecondary schools in the nation.
On March 22, Military Friendly announced the list of schools that have earned the upcoming 2022-23 Military Friendly Schools award-level designations.
UW-Eau Claire is one of only 20 large four-year institutions in the country to earn the silver-level rank. The silver-medal designation is given to institutions that are ranked within 20% of the overall top 10 schools.
The survey agency Viqtory is a veteran-owned small business that connects the military community to civilian employment, education and entrepreneurial opportunities. For the awards, the agency measures institutions for their ability to meet and exceed thresholds for retention, graduation, job placement, debt repayment and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.
“It is an honor to once again be recognized as a military-friendly institution,” says Miranda Cross-Schindler, manager of military and veteran services at UW-Eau Claire. “We are very proud of our ongoing commitment to providing excellence in veteran services, student support, financial aid, academic policies and graduate outcomes.
In addition to those services, Cross-Schindler points out that UW-Eau Claire’s military-connected students deeply appreciate the campus Veterans Center, a dedicated student study and gathering space.
“Our center recently underwent renovations made possible by a 2020 crowdfunding campaign which raised over $50,000 from generous alumni and other supporters of our student veterans,” she says.
One of those appreciative student veterans is senior social studies education major and U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Shoo Parish, a student staff member in the Veterans Center who is happy to have landed at UW-Eau Claire.
“Being a military-affiliated, nontraditional student can be an uncomfortable prospect indeed,” Parish says. “Finding a university capable of delivering the greatest quality academic experience while effectively supporting the unique circumstances we veterans face can often mean the difference between success and failure.
“It has been my experience here at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire that these two requirements have been met in full.”
Parish plans to graduate in 2023 and begin a career teaching at the middle school level.
For more information about veterans services at UW-Eau Claire, contact Miranda Cross-Schindler at crossmk@uwec.edu or 715-836-5212.
