Maryville College named as a ‘Best for Vets’ school by Military Times
Sept. 20, 2022
Maryville College has been recognized as one of the nation’s top schools for veterans in a new survey released this week by Military Times.
Part of Sightline Media Group, formerly known as the Army Times Publishing Company, Military Times is dedicated to “a strong heritage and tradition of meeting the highest standards of independent journalism” with publications “serving all branches of the U.S. military, the global defense community, the U.S. federal government and several special interest, defense-oriented industry sectors.”
In its ranking of Best for Vets: Colleges, Maryville College was ranked 129th overall, 17th in Appalachia and 25th in Private School listings as an institution that provides services and programs specific to military students, whether active-duty, veterans or families and dependents of service members.
“Anyone who puts on a military uniform lives by the mantra of learning to adapt and overcome,” said Dave Daniels ’20, director of military outreach and transfer recruiting at Maryville College. “Fortunately, from the time these individuals apply and make contact with us at Maryville College until they graduate, they have little to overcome as a student-veteran here. All they have to do is adapt, and we help them every step of the way. This honor is proof positive that veterans at Maryville College don’t just survive higher education; they thrive.”
According to the Military Times methodology, rankings were compiled based on responses from more than 300 schools that weighed student success metrics, followed closely by the range of military-specific resources and the level of financial assistance offered to veterans. In addition, according to the publication, “admissions and registration policies, human resources and assorted miscellaneous considerations also factor into the scoring rubric.”
The designation comes on the heels of a March recognition of MC as a Military Friendly® School for 2022-2023, a status that recognizes the College’s commitment to and success in offering a place in the student population for veterans and military-related applicants. Maryville College accepts military Tuition Assistance (TA), veteran education benefits, TN Strong Act, Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E Chapter 31) and other veteran educational benefits.
Additionally, MC offers a unique level of support with its MC Helping Heroes Scholarship for those military members who have not accrued 100 percent of VA education benefits. The College also provides academic credit for formal military training, accommodations for those with disabilities and career placement assistance for veterans.
Providing such assistance to those who have served, are serving or are related to individuals who do is a tall order, but one that Daniels — himself a veteran — carries out with a sense of reverence for the uniform.
“The reason I was hired was to make the transition from the military to higher education as seamless as possible,” he said. “I don’t take that lightly. Maryville College entrusted me with this program and gives me the support and tools necessary to make sure I succeed in maintaining and retaining a strong student veteran population.”