University repeats Silver Status research institutions earned the previous year

Cleveland, Ohio (March 14, 2022) – Cleveland State University has been awarded Military Friendly School Silver Status for Tier 2 research institutions by Military Friendly, an organization owned and operated by service-disabled, veteran-owned small business military marketing company Viqtory.

Military Friendly measures an organization’s commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful opportunities for the military community in selecting educational institutions. Those earning awards were evaluated by data-driven criteria, public sources and survey responses.

“We are honored that Military Friendly is recognizing the work of CSU’s faculty and staff in support of our veterans,” said CSU president Harlan M. Sands. “As a veteran myself with over 10 years of active duty service, nothing makes me prouder of the investment we make in our former servicemembers.”

An institution’s ability to meet/exceed thresholds for retention, graduation, job placement, repayment, persistence and loan default rates for students and student-veterans factor heavily in earning the honor.

The key to meeting these criteria falls on the work of CSU’s Veteran Student Success Program and its Veteran & Military Success Center—a full-service, on-campus facility integrating local, regional and nationwide resources and partnerships to help veterans transition from military to civilian life.

As a team, the program and center offer tutoring and advising, guidance on benefits, a computer lab, multipurpose spaces, academic- and therapeutic workshops and even counseling. Together, these on-campus entities also foster camaraderie amongst veterans, who often miss the tightly knit social structure experienced while they were enlisted.

With Cuyahoga County serving as home to more veterans than any county in Ohio—over 70,000 in all—the ongoing impact for CSU’s program and center and for the community it serves will continue to grow.

“These active efforts by CSU put veteran students in a position to succeed and for our community to thrive,” said Brandon Thompson, interim director of the Veteran Student Success Program and Veteran & Military Success Center at CSU.

“This award confirms our ongoing commitment to support our military-affiliated students at CSU,” Thompson added. “This recognition is the acknowledgment our CSU staff and faculty deserve. They can take pride in their ongoing work to support this community of heroes.”

Over 1,800 schools in all participated in the 2022-2023 survey. Of those institutions, 665 earned award designations in Gold, Silver and Bronze for their leading practices, outcomes and effective programs. CSU has made 11 of the last 13 annual lists, repeating its Silver Status earned in 2021-2022.

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About Cleveland State University
Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for Engaged Learning. With nearly 16,000 students, ten colleges and schools and more than 175 academic programs, CSU was again chosen for 2021 as one of America’s best universities by U.S. News & World Report, including the #1 public university in Ohio for social mobility. Find more information at www.csuohio.edu.