Franklin College Recognized as 2012 "Military Friendly School"

Release date: September 20, 2012

Franklin College has been named to the 2012 "Military Friendly School" list by G.I. Jobs magazine. The list offers insight for prospective student veterans searching for colleges that provide the greatest opportunity and overall experience.

The list was compiled after extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 8,000 colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide. Scoring is based on the services the school is offering to student veterans such as scholarships and discounts, veterans' clubs, full-time staff and military credit. Only those scoring in the top 15 percent are named to the list.

The college has built its support system for student service members, veterans and their families over the last couple of years with assistance from the Operation Diploma Grant, an initiative of the Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University. Created in 2008 with a $5.8 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., Operation Diploma focuses on raising awareness and engaging Indiana's postsecondary institutions in creating supportive services and policies for student military service members and veterans.

"We are very proud of the services we now provide to our student service members, veterans and their families," said Becky Roberts, a counselor at Franklin College and project director overseeing the implementation of the grant. "We have developed the Student Veteran Support Team (SVST), which consists of 11 other college staff members and student veterans. Their role has been to develop programs and policies to boost academic success of student service members and veterans. Through their hard work, we now offer transferrable credits for military courses, have designated full-time staff members to assist student veterans, and allow military withdrawal and financial reimbursement if a military member is called to duty."

Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential four-year undergraduate liberal arts institution with a scenic, wooded campus located 20 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. The college prepares men and women for significant careers through the liberal arts, offering its approximately 1,000 students 30 majors, 35 minors and nine pre-professional programs. In 1842, the college began admitting women, becoming the first coeducational institution in Indiana and the seventh in the nation. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA.