March 10, 2020
For the second year in a row, UCCS ranks in the top ten for the nation’s most military friendly, large, public institutions. This year UCCS ranked No. 5 overall. The website Military Friendly ranked UCCS as outstanding or exceeding expectations in every category.
According to UCCS’ website, nearly 20 percent of the student body is affiliated with the military. Among them is sophomore William Felt.
Felts, a cultural anthropology major, is a sergeant in the Colorado National Guard and has experience balancing his military career with school.
“I’ve found UCCS to be extremely friendly to military and former military members,” said Felt.
According to the UCCS Veteran and Military Affairs website, over 1,000 military veterans enroll each semester, and this number is likely to increase. UCCS ensures professors and faculty have the resources and tools they need to cater to this population, including training programs for faculty.
“Every professor I’ve had has been very accommodating to me,” said Felts. “This has been crucial to my success so far because I am currently serving and am frequently on orders or at some sort of training.” Flexibility from instructors has been his most valuable resource, according to Felt. Instructors give him assignments early and meet to review instructions, both of which are tools he leans on.
UCCS offers multiple resources to students affiliated with the military. Tutors, all with military backgrounds, are available to students needing extra assistance in classes.
Students with the required grade point average and who are willing to pay the membership fees can join the Salute Veterans Honor Society, allowing them to make further connections.
The Books for Battle Buddies Program allows active duty military members and veterans to check out books for free for a full-term semester. The Boots to Suits program helps these students prepare for civilian work life after their terms in the military are up and they are finished with their studies.
The UCCS website claims, “We support military students operationally by providing priority registration, a generous military credit transfer program, a textbook sharing program, early benefits certification, and emergency loan programs.”
“I’ve used the Veteran Resource Center by the parking garage,” said Felts. “They helped me apply for some benefits I didn’t know I was eligible for, and the student lounge [is] a great place to study and hang out with other military people. A nice, calm study area.”
Because of the high military population, students are likely to encounter others with similar backgrounds.
“There is a large number of veterans at the school, so almost every class I have, I always find at least one person that I can connect with quickly,” Felts said.
For military members and veterans interested in learning more about resources available to them, the McCord-Herbst Student Veterans Center, located in Gateway Hall, is a helpful place to start.