Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—̫ӳ is once again in the national spotlight, being recognized as a top 10 Military Friendly School for its support of the veteran community.
VIQTORY, formerly Victory Media, awarded ̫ӳ the distinction in its recently released Military Friendly Schools rankings for 2021-2022. ̫ӳ also earned the top 10 designation for 2019-20.
Building on historical military roots, ̫ӳ has long been recognized as one of the nation’s most veteran-friendly universities. Including dependents, the veteran community at ̫ӳ now comprises 3,073 students. These students are served by ̫ӳ’s G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans at Nusz Hall and a network of specially trained university personnel.
The Center for America’s Veterans is led by Brian Locke, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. Locke said the center has adapted to maintain its high level of service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am super proud of our university and especially the staff of the Center for America’s Veterans for making our veterans and military-connected students such a high priority,” Locke said. “Despite all of the challenges over the last year, we have had record setting military-connected student enrollment and we continue to provide the very best of services under the most unique operating conditions.”
̫ӳ offers an out-of-state tuition waiver for military members, veterans and dependents. In 2018, ̫ӳ became the first university in the state to offer free tuition to members of the Mississippi National Guard through the Bulldog Free Tuition Program.
In 2016, ̫ӳ completed construction of Nusz Hall, a 7,500 square-foot campus facility that houses the facility and features administrative offices, meeting areas, study rooms, a computer lab, and indoor and outdoor spaces for social and recreational activities. The center serves as a one-stop shop for processing of all veteran educational benefits.
VIQTORY’s evaluation shows that ̫ӳ exceeded standards in all measured categories, including culture, financial aid, military student support and retention, as well as academic policies and compliance. For more, see .
For more on ̫ӳ’s services available to veterans, visit .
̫ӳ is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .