SILVER CITY, NM—WNMU recently announced that it had earned the 2024-2025 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 1,800 schools participated in the 2024-2025 survey with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard.

The 2024-2025 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issues of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com .

Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Viqtory, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities. Viqtory also had 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.

According to the WNMU Office of Veterans Affairs, managed by Sylvia Sierra, the university aims to "become a Military Friendly® institution utilizing the unique backdrop of the Gila National Forest as a location for serenity and introspective learning. We seek to create synergistic relationships with local VA entities, Federal Agencies, and private institutions to provide a transitional career path for attending Veterans and their dependents."

The Military Friendly® designation signals that WNMU is meeting not only its own standards for serving active military members and veterans but is also excelling in meeting the independent review. According to Kayla Lopez, the National Director of Military Partnerships, Military Friendly® "is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process. Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the military community. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages institutions to evolve and invest in their programs consistently."

Lopez added, "Schools that achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard."

More information about WNMU and its commitment to being Military Friendly® can be found on the Office of Veterans Affair webpage.