Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The University of North Carolina Wilmington has again garnered national recognition for its commitment to “Seahawks who serve” for both active-duty and veteran members of the armed services.

For its efforts, UNCW is designated as a “Top School” in the 2016 Military Advanced Education & Transition (MAE&T) Guide to Colleges & Universities research study. The guide measures best practices in military and veteran education enacted at more than 600 institutions from community colleges to nationally known centers for higher education.

MAE&T is a journal of higher learning for the service men and women of today. The publication covers issues and trends in distance learning, education and opportunities specific to military life.

UNCW’s commitment to supporting military-affiliated students is one of the institution’s founding values. When it opened its doors in 1947, seventy-five percent of its founding class of 238 students were veterans.

In 2007, UNCW established the UNCW Military Advisory Board and the UNCW Military Task Force to maintain the tradition of support for both active-duty military students and veterans, as well as for their families and spouses.

The university operates extension sites in several regional counties and collaborates with Coastal Carolina Community College, Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River to offer programs for military personnel and their families.

“As UNCW’s programs on the main campus, extension sites and online grow, so does the collective campus spirit to support the members of our campus military family,” said UNCW Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli. “We will become even better at offering educational opportunities to student veterans. It is an important connection between the university’s past and its future.”

A new military resource lounge officially opened on campus in August 2015. The university will honor all veterans in its annual campus ceremony on Nov. 11.

Last month, UNCW made U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 “Best Colleges for Veterans” list, coming in at number 14 among all universities in the south, and fourth among the public universities on the list. MAE&T, G.I. Jobs and Military Times has also recognized UNCW previously for its military friendliness.

This is the latest in a series of impressive accolades for the university.

-- Caroline Cropp

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