The University of South Carolina Aiken campus has climbed into the national top 10 rankings as a military friendly school while maintaining its number one ranking for the state of South Carolina.
The university’s Office of Veteran and Military Student Success is now listed number nine in the national ranking among small public schools.
More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey conducted by the Military Friendly Schools organization. That information was combined with public data to rank the schools. The rankings are impacted by a school’s retention, graduation, job placement and loans default rates for all students and specifically for student veterans.
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Robert Murphy, director of the VMSS, expressed his gratitude to the center’s supporters.
“This is a campus and community-wide achievement,” he said. “Without the hard work of my campus colleagues and the support of our donors and advocates, we couldn’t achieve this. Thank you for being a part of our collective success.”
The office assists veterans, active-duty service members and their families pursue their education as they transition from military service to civilian life.
“Simply stated – we best position veteran and military students to achieve their education, career and life goals,” Murphy said. “USC Aiken and the surrounding community are passionate about supporting each veteran and military student’s continued success.”
Among the opportunities for veteran and military students is the newly opened PACER Center for Excellence in Business Research and entrepreneurship.
The center is part of the School of Business Administration. It will serve as a research, consulting and educational training hub. The new center will address the demand for research in myriad fields including cybersecurity, marketing, economic development, finance and entrepreneurship.
“So, with respect to veterans, really the sky’s the limit with their experiences and knowledge that they bring to the table, with their hard work and commitment,” said Sanela Porca of the university’s School of Business Administration. “Those individuals are very serious learners.”
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The importance of veteran and active-duty military and their families was highlighted during the March 18 investiture of Chancellor Dan Heimmermann.
“They come from across the state, every corner of this great Palmetto State and from 42 other states and from 21 countries. They populate this beautiful 453-acre campus and make it a vital Living and Learning Community,” said Harris Pastides, interim president of the University of South Carolina. “It is a highly ranked military and veteran friendly school and one of the region’s very best colleges for veterans.”
Military Friendly Schools also recognized Aiken Technical College with its silver award among small community colleges, a designation awarded to Augusta Technical College as well.
For more information about Military Friendly Schools and the rankings go to: https://www.militaryfriendly.com/schools/
For more information about the VMSS, visit www.usca.edu/vmss
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
