Northeast State Community College has earned a 2023-24 Gold Military Friendly Schools® designation.
Northeast State received the recognition from the Military Friendly® rating system owned and operated by Viqtory, a small business managed by veterans disabled during military service. The College was one of 250 institutions nationwide earning the Gold designation.
The Veteran & Military Student Success Center (VMSSC) serves as a one-stop shop for military-affiliated students attending Northeast State. Center staff served 511 veterans and veterans’ dependents during the Fall 2022 semester and 440 military-affiliated students during the current Spring semester.
“Receiving the Military Friendly Schools Awards designation demonstrates our commitment to those men and women who have served our country and their families as they continue to achieve academic goals,” said Brandon Dotson, dean of Enrollment Management and Students at Northeast State.
The VMSSC administers educational needs of applicants and enrolled service persons, veterans, their dependents/survivors, and other persons eligible to receive education benefits under various Department of Veterans Affairs programs. Veterans and persons eligible to receive VA benefits are eligible to enroll in all Northeast State degree and certificate programs (except for the Entrepreneurship Certificate). The College is certified as a VETS (Veterans Education Transition Support) campus by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The VMSSC hosts spaces on the Blountville, Johnson City, and Kingsport campuses. The Center provides a dedicated student advisor and hosts veterans-specific orientations. A student chapter of the Student Veterans of America (SVA) organization was established in 2013.
Northeast has earned multiple Gold and Silver designations from Military Friendly® since 2010. Dotson credited VMSSC staff members and center coordinator Susan Marshall for her continued commitment to military-affiliated students. He noted the longstanding dedication of center staff for supporting veteran students and their families.
“Providing support to veterans, service members, and their families is one of many ways the college demonstrates how thankful we are to support our military-affiliated community,” said Dotson. “Although we are proud to receive this distinction, it is our most cherished honor to be in a position to simply give back to our veteran community.”
More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2023-2024 survey with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard. Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council. 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 2023-2024 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine. To learn more about services offered to veterans, visit the Veteran & Military Student Success Center at https://www.northeaststate.edu/Admission/Veterans-Affairs/ or email veteransaffairs@northeaststate.edu.