Brenau designated a Military Friendly college for 2022-23

Rosanne Short places a pinwheel in the ground outside the Owens Student Center in 2016 to honor Brenau's veteran and active duty military students. (AJ Reynolds/Brenau University)

Brenau University has been named a Military Friendly college for the 2022-23 school year by Military Friendly Schools, a designation it has held consistently during the last 10 years.

Brenau exceeded all standards and was awarded gold status this year. Director of Military and Veteran Services Rosanne Short said the distinction is not just a label at Brenau. 

“Whether a student is an active duty service member, veteran, spouse or dependent, we understand that a call to duty affects the entire family,” Short said. “Brenau’s mission is to honor their service and support our military student population on all of our campuses and online around the world. No matter the question, concern, or barrier military duty may create, we strive to connect with them in a manner that suits their needs.”

Brenau’s offerings include a military support team, Student Veterans Association, tuition discounts, veteran student lounges both on campus and online, and the Empowering Veterans speaker series.

“Not only does Brenau offer affordable rates, but there also are various resources available to veterans and organizations catered to assisting us military students,” said Army Cpl. Ennun Walker, who is pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Brenau online. “They are very aware that we could be called to duty at any time and are very understanding.”

Military Friendly Schools strive towards and succeed in the areas that matter most in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and, ultimately, satisfying careers in the civilian world, according to the Military Friendly website.

Institutions that earned the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. 

Kayla Lopez, National Director of Military Partnerships for Military Friendly, said the designation process is data-driven.

“Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the military community,” she said. “This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard.”

More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey, with 665 schools earning awards level designations in gold, silver or bronze. Gold status was awarded to 282 schools, including Brenau, for their leading practices, outcomes and effective programs. 

The rating looks at several areas, including academic policies and compliance, admissions and orientation, culture and commitment, financial aid and assistance, graduation and career, and military student support and retention.

The 2022-23 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May and October issues of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.

For more information about Brenau’s student veteran programs, click here.