October 12, 2017

SVSU receives top certification from Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency

Saginaw Valley State University has earned certification as a Veteran-Friendly School from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency for the third consecutive year.

This certification is the highest award a Michigan university can earn on the state level, said Bethany Alford, SVSU director of Military Student Affairs.

While SVSU has received the award in the past, the university continues to expand the services it provides to military-affiliated students.

"We just started a new program that will really personalize the help we give our students," Alford said. "We have hired four veteran students to work for this office as peer academic and career advisors."

These positions provide specific, one-on-one advisement to SVSU's military-connected students from their peers who have been through the process themselves.

The SVSU Military Student Affairs Office reaches over 300 military-connected students across campus, helping them achieve success in the classroom as well as the community.

"We offer help all the way from a student's initial admission in the university, helping them choose their classes and acclimate to college life, all the way to graduation and everything in between," Alford said.

This award reflects SVSU's Military Student Affairs office dedication to ensuring their military-affiliated students are equipped with the tools necessary to succeed in higher education and in the surrounding community. 

This is the first year SVSU met all seven criteria established for the certification:

•                     identification of current student veterans,

•                     a veteran-specific website,

•                     active student-operated organization,

•                     a veteran-centric career services/advising,

•                     on-campus coordinator/staff point of contact,

•                     evaluation/awards based on prior military experience,

•                     and evaluation of veteran academic retention and graduation rates.

"It's our duty to serve those who have served," Alford said.

For more information about SVSU's Military Student Affairs office, visit www.svsu.edu/militarystudentaffairs.