For the third consecutive year, Ohio Northern University has been named a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine. This distinction recognizes Ohio Northern for ranking in the top 15 percent among all universities and trades schools nationwide in welcoming military and veteran students. Schools and universities on the Military Friendly Schools list encourage policies, efforts and results used to recruit and retain military and veteran students.

Ohio Northern shows an interest in recruiting military students and attempts to continue and improve the efforts of military friendliness each year. ONU believes that veterans enrich its campus through their qualities of leadership, maturity, persistence, dedication and responsibility. For these reasons, ONU has participated and continues to be a Yellow Ribbon institution. The Yellow Ribbon program covers 100 percent of tuition and fees for veterans and their dependents who qualify. ONU does not limit the program a veteran chooses to pursue; currently, veterans at ONU pursue law, business, engineering and a variety of degrees within the College of Arts & Sciences.

Earlier this month, the University hosted a Veterans Appreciation Day in conjunction with its home football game against Heidelberg University. Pregame festivities included a F-16 jet flyover by the 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard, honorary team captains representing various military branches, and on-field veteran recognition. All veterans of the United States Armed Forces and their families were admitted into the game for free, and the Ohio Northern players wore commemorative camouflage jerseys that were sold via silent auction after the game. All proceeds from this auction were donated to the Ohio Veterans of Foreign Wars Veterans Services Fund.

         According to G.I. Jobs, a selected panel of five higher education administrators helps determine these schools. To determine a military-friendly school, the panel compiles and weighs the research findings according to four categories: certification measuring a school’s non-financial efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, financial commitment, a school’s result in recruiting military and veteran students, and academic accreditations.