G.I. Jobs magazine recently selected Widener University as a Military Friendly School for 2012. The honors place Widener University in the top 20 percent of all higher education institutions nationwide. 

Widener was once known as Pennsylvania Military College until 1972. 

G.I. Jobs is a premier magazine for military personnel making the transition to civilian life. Published by Victory Media Inc., a veteran-owned business, G.I. Jobs annually selects the nation’s Military Friendly Schools and publishes results in the annual guide.

“Given Widener’s mission as a university committed to civic engagement and service to the nation, and our history as Pennsylvania Military College; this is a great honor,” said James T. Harris III, president of Widener.

The 2012 list of Military Friendly Schools was compiled through extensive research and a data driven survey of more than 8,000 schools nationwide. In its effort to help student veterans find the right school, G.I. Jobs incorporated a survey of student veterans for the first time. 

This feedback provides prospective military students with insight into the student veteran experience at a particular institution based on peer reviews from current students.

“The Military Friendly Schools list is the go-to resource for prospective student veterans searching for schools that provide the right overall experience,” said Michael Dakduk, executive director of the Standard Veterans of America. “Nothing is more compelling than actual feedback from current student veterans.”

Widener University participates in the Post 9/11 G.I. Yellow Ribbon Program. The program offers matching tuition assistance to all eligible and undergraduate and graduate students attending Widener’s University campus in Chester. Ten students from the Widener School of Law can also participant in the program. Participating students can receive a maximum of $8,600 per year. 

Eligible graduate students can receive up to $1,000 per year and doctoral students can receive up to $5,200 per year.

In addition to participating in the Post 9/11 G.I. Yellow Ribbon program, the university introduced the Children of Active and Reserve Military Personnel Educational (Widener CARES) scholarship in 2005. The scholarship fund ensures that the children in the U.S. military personnel, who are killed in action in either Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom will have the opportunity to pursue higher education.

“At Widener, we feel a sense of responsibility to provide these children with the opportunity to pursue higher education regardless of their financial situation,” Harris said. “We hope to see other colleges and universities throughout the county institute similar programs so that, ultimately, all children are given the opportunity to pursue higher education.”

The Widener School of Law also provides one of the few veterans law clinics in the nation, providing free legal aid to veterans in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.