Santa Monica College Makes Top 10 Military Friendly Schools List

From Santa Monica College: Santa Monica College (SMC) has earned a Top 10 2020-2021 Military Friendly® School designation. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,000 colleges and universities across the nation participated in the 2020-2021 survey with 695 earning the designation. SMC is among the top 10 in the “large community colleges” category. This is the highest “special award” in each category, as colleges and universities may earn a Top 10, Gold, Silver, or Bronze Special Award on top of their Military Friendly® School designation

The 2020-­2021 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com. Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

“The SMC Veterans’ Resource Center team is honored to be recognized as a leading military serving college in the nation—this is a testament of the college’s commitment to our military servicemen and women,” said Kevin Benitez, a veteran and faculty leader for the center. “This designation is important and useful for prospective students as they look for colleges. Veterans, like all other students, want a college that will not only have their back but will also guide them to their goal, whether that be transferring to a four-year university, graduating from SMC, or beginning a career.”

Now in its 19th year, the Military Friendly® Schools list has come to set the standard for higher education institutions to provide the best opportunities for veterans and their spouses. This prestigious list provides a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families using data sources from federal agencies, veteran students and proprietary survey information from participating organizations.

SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery noted that this designation will also allow the college’s exemplary Veterans’ Resource Center to set benchmarks that will help the college better serve veterans.

“Santa Monica College has been deeply committed over the years to providing the kind of intensive support that student veterans need to succeed,” Jeffery said. “The credit goes to the staff and leadership of the Veterans’ Resource Center, both past and present. What is truly exemplary is the commitment they have poured into ensuring that veterans feel not just welcome here, but also find a community and support network who show in concrete, visible actions that they care deeply for veterans’ academic success and wellbeing.”

For the past five years, SMC has enrolled nearly 1,000 student veterans each academic year. California is home to an estimated 1.8 million veterans. The California community colleges as a system—composed of 73 community college districts and 115 colleges—enrolls roughly 80,000 veterans and active duty service members annually.

The SMC Veterans’ Resource Center is a “one stop shop” where student veterans have access to academic tutoring and counseling; a computer lab; therapy; and referrals to community resources and other veteran-serving programs in the West Los Angeles area. The center also offers a veteran lounge/study room, a popular spot where veterans can study and relax between classes.

Among recent and new activities at SMC: a Women’s Veterans Group who meets a few times each semester for a “self-care day”; a new student orientation exclusively for veterans which includes workshops with the SMC Center for Wellness & Wellbeing, Financial Aid, and more; field trips to USC and UCLA which included campus tours and interactions with student veterans at the universities; and a resumé and financial literacy workshop.

Military Friendly’s National Director Josh Rosen stated, “Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to colleges creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to invest in programs to provide educational outcomes that are better for the Military Community as a whole."

For more information on the SMC Veterans’ Resource Center and all its services, visit smc.edu/veterans or call (310) 434-8260.