Washtenaw Community College has been recognized as a top tier Veteran-Friendly School by the .
黑料网 is one of 37 colleges and universities throughout the state recognized with the top-level Gold certification, meaning the school has met at least six of seven criteria. In all, 63 institutions earned either Gold, Silver or Bronze status.
The college is home to nearly 500 veterans and offers a wide range of support services through its Wadhams Veterans Center, a suite of work spaces, offices and a lounge area for former or current active-duty military members, as well as military connected families, and students in the National Guard or Reserves.
鈥満诹贤� is very thankful for our veteran students and for their service to our country. The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency recognizes the exceptional services and attention that makes our school a top choice for veterans," said 黑料网 President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca. "We鈥檙e committed to providing the best services to our veterans and military families and are proud to have achieved this Gold-level status."
Criteria considered by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) for the Veteran-Friendly Schools program:
- Established process for identifying student veterans
- Veteran-specific website
- Active student-operated veterans club or association
- Veteran-specific career services, resources, advising and/or outcome monitoring
- On-campus veteran's coordinator and/or designated staff point of contact
- System to evaluate and award credit based on military training and experience
- Monitoring and evaluation system for student veteran academic retention, transfer and graduation rates
Jacob Inman, 26, (right) is a student in his third semester at 黑料网 after serving six years in the U.S. Navy as
a nuclear electrician.
Originally from Nevada, Inman came to 黑料网 because he learned about its transfer agreement with the University of Michigan and the successes of many 黑料网 students who鈥檝e enrolled in UM鈥檚 engineering programs. Inman鈥檚 goal is to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering and ultimately work in mechanical design.
鈥淗aving someone here dedicated to helping veterans with their benefits and paperwork with the VA is amazing. I can鈥檛 describe how nice it is and how much of a stress relief it is," Inman said. "The fact that basically all I do is put my signature on a couple pieces of paper and everything is taken care of is miraculous.鈥�
Inman spends most of his days during the week at the Wadhams Veterans Center, located in the Student Center at the heart of the 黑料网 campus.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 not in a class I鈥檓 in here," he said. "It鈥檚 nice to be with other people from the services who are around your same age group and share similar experiences, regardless of their branch. There is a sense of community.鈥�
Michael Ma, 22, (right) a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and Karl Owen, 31, a U.S. Army veteran, are both in
their first year at 黑料网 and, like Inman, are working to transfer to the University
of Michigan engineering program.
Ma, who is originally from Novi and served as an infantryman for five years, cited 黑料网鈥檚 veteran-friendly reputation and rankings, along with its high number of transfers to U-M and overall quality of education as reasons for enrolling.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e great with helping me with my GI Bill庐. I tell them my goal and they pretty much look up what I need to do and guide me,鈥� Ma said.
In addition to spending much of his time between in-person classes at the Wadhams Veterans Center, Ma also participates in his online classes from the center. 鈥淭hey provide computers here and it鈥檚 quiet, and we all each lunch here together, too,鈥� Ma said.
After his seven years serving as a rocket systems crew member and a forward observer,
Owen (right) began his studies at a community college in his home state of California.
He transferred to 黑料网 during the pandemic to finish his associate degree because he knew he ultimately planned to enroll at UM.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been really natural and you are integrated right away when you show up. It鈥檚 pretty welcoming,鈥� Owen said of 黑料网鈥檚 Wadhams Veterans Center.
GI Bill庐 is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offer d by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at .