RIT Named to Military Friendly Schools List for 2010

Rochester Institute of Technology was recently named to the 2010 Military Friendly Schools List, compiled by G.I. Jobs magazine. The list cites the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the United States that recruit students with military experience and provide academic programs and integral support systems for veterans.

“The fact that RIT has been named to this list of military friendly schools is a confirmation to all of America that these young soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are very important to us,” says Eugene Clark, director of veteran enrollment services in the RIT enrollment management and career services division. “They deserve the opportunity to advance their civilian educations, as their classmates did following high school.”

RIT was recognized for its participation as a Yellow Ribbon college and its long history of support for veterans as well as undergraduates who serve in the college’s Air Force and Army ROTC programs. More than 300 RIT students are currently receiving veterans’ benefits, one of the highest numbers in the Rochester area. Support services at RIT include benefit counseling, assistance with admission, credit transfer help, support with student financial aid, enrollment certification, tutorial support and problem resolution advocacy.

The university was also recognized for its newest program, the Military Veterans with Hearing Loss Project at RIT/NTID, established in January 2009. Veterans returning from service who experience hearing loss can earn degrees at the university and receive access support from NTID under the project.

“As a veteran with service connected hearing loss myself, as well as an RIT graduate, I believe I have credible insight to many of the personal and educational challenges facing vets with hearing loss,” says Allen Ford, project coordinator of the Veterans with Hearing Loss Project and assistant professor, NTID business studies department.

“I can attest that the Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations are an integral component of RIT’s rich educational experience, both in the classroom and out. No other institution in the nation can touch the quality and level of audiological support services that range from cochlear implant mapping to complete hearing aid services,” Ford says.

In preparation for veterans with hearing loss entering RIT, the NTID team is working directly with organizations such as the Veterans Administration, military audiologists, National Guard Education Service offices and the local Veterans Outreach Center, Ford explained.

The Military Friendly Schools List includes information compiled from more than 7,000 schools nationwide.

“Veterans are attracted to RIT because of our career oriented portfolio, and the value of an RIT degree. Our international reputation for academic excellence, co-op and student support services are just a few of the things students tell us are important to them, when selecting a university,” Clark added.

More information about the RIT and NTID veterans programs can be found at: www.rit.edu/emcs/ptgrad/veterans.php3