09/20/12 jgm

HAYS, Kan. -- Victory Media has named Fort Hays State University as a military friendly school for a fifth consecutive year. Victory Media, the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business founded in 2001.

The 2013 Military Friendly Schools® list honors the top 15 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 ensure their success on campus.

"Inclusion on the 2013 list of Military Friendly Schools shows FHSU's commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students," said Sean Collins, Director for G.I. Jobs Magazine and vice president at Victory Media. "As interest in education grows, we're thrilled to provide the military community with transparent, world-class resources to assist in their search for schools."

The 1,739 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year's list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. These schools have world-class programs and policies for student support on campus, academic accreditation, credit policies, flexibility and other services to those who served.

"Having won this honor several years, it speaks highly to our commitment to the military and to the support staff we have in place to assist them in their education," said Dennis King, director of the Virtual College and learning technologies at FHSU. "We enjoy having military students in our program because they bring high-quality and real-world experience that helps out all our students."

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 consisting of educators from schools across the country.

A full story and detailed list of 2013 Military Friendly Schools will be highlighted in the annual G.I. Jobs 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 guide and associated media will also be featured at the Carrier Classic college basketball game on Nov. 9, anchored by a playoff between Ohio State University and Marquette University on the deck of the USS Yorktown. Both participating schools are on this year's list of Military Friendly Schools®.