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By Kadyann Stupart
The Lions’ Pride is running articles for the month of Mar. in honor of Military Caregiver Month. This is the second article in a series to be published for this month.
Due to its outstanding dedication towards military students, Saint Leo University has been the recipient of numerous awards in the span of four months.
William J. Lennox Jr., retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and Saint Leo University President, has commented in a press release.
“Each year more than 5,000 veterans attend classes at Saint Leo, while nearly 4,500 active-duty military members are enrolled around the world, and this commitment to military men and women is an aspect of the Saint Leo University of which I am particularly proud,” said Lennox in a press release.
The most recent of these sextuple achievements is the fifth rank in the nation for the 2017 Military Spouse Friendly School® designated by Victory Media. In light of March being Military Caregiver Month, the timely award is indicative of Saint Leo’s commitment to supporting military spouses who are juggling the demands of family, military life, work and going back to school.
“Saint Leo University is humbled to be recognized for not only educating those who have served and continued to serve our country but also for providing educational opportunities for their spouses and other family members,” stated Pamela Martis, retired U.S. Army colonel and director of SLU’s Office of Military Affairs and Services, in a press release.
Victory Media also presented Saint Leo University with its second award, that being the third rank in the nation for the Top10 Gold-level Military Friendly® School Award. When asked why Saint Leo was a recipient of the award in a press release, Martis stated, “It is so important to help those who have served our country transition into civilian life. We can advocate for military students, military family members, and student-veterans throughout the university— at all of the centers and teaching locations, as well as our Center for Online Learning. The support from the staff and faculty to support the military and student-veteran is phenomenal.”
The third award that Saint Leo has earned recognition for, the fourth consecutive year, is the Military Advanced Education & Transition’s Top School in Military & Veteran Education. This award illustrates that Saint Leo is a leader in the nation in the provision of education to veterans and active military students in the armed forces. The university shows its commitment to educating military personnel, veterans and their families by teaching at several military bases in Virginia, California, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Naval Station Norfolk, which is one of the largest naval bases in the world.
Saint Leo’s fourth award is its eighth ranking in the country as one of the Best for Vets: Colleges 2017 by Military Times. The Best for Vets: Colleges survey asked more than five hundred colleges and universities to document services, special rules, accommodations, and financial incentives offered to students with military ties, as well as to describe many aspects of veteran culture on campus.
“We limit our list to encourage competition, and we genuinely hope this helps raise the bar for veterans on campus,” said Amanda Miller, editor of Best for Vets, in a press release.
Martis also commented on how Saint Leo is able to accommodate not only student veterans but also military-affiliated students.
“We focus on looking at the needs of our military affiliated students [and student veterans]who attend Saint Leo and we strive to make sure that we assist them in the areas they need, to transition from the military as they look towards continuing their higher education and pursuing a career after their military service,” said Martis.
Lastly, the institution’s fifth and sixth awards come from their recognition in the U.S. News & World 2017 Report. Saint Leo was named Best Online program for bachelor’s degrees, ranked fifty-ninth, and the Best Online program for Veteran’s list, ranked thirty-seventh. The University has been offering online programs since 1998 through its Center for Online Learning.
“Saint Leo University is very proud to have its online bachelor’s and veteran’s programs recognized in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Programs rankings again this year,” Melanie Storms, vice president of Saint Leo WorldWide, said in a press release. “With the recent creation of our new WorldWide division, online and distance education are a renewed area of focus for Saint Leo. We remain committed to providing quality, values-based education that offers maximum flexibility, meeting our students at their point of need.”
Saint Leo University has undoubtedly out-done itself through accomplishing these awards in such a short time period.
