Fordham University is once again among the top 25 schools in the nation for returning veterans, according to the “Best for Vets” rankings released by Military Times on Nov. 11.
Michael Gillan, Ph.D., associate vice-president and co-chair of FordhamVets Task Group, was in the middle of New York’s Veterans Day Parade on a Fordham sponsored float when he got the news.
“What veterans share in common coming back from any conflict is that they want to get on with their lives,” said Gillan. “They want to get on with being students.”
He added that the University’s commitment to the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program no doubt played a role. The program was an optional provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill passed in 2009 and is considered the most comprehensive expansion of veteran education benefits since World War II.
Even though there is a national cap on the Yellow Ribbon benefits, the University has bypassed the limit and increased its Yellow Ribbon commitment to cover all tuition and fees for Post-9/11 veterans, he said.
“We are once again able to say ‘Top 25,'” said Gillan. “Plus, this is the fourth consecutive year that Fordham is the #1-rated private school in the metropolitan region.”
–Tom Stoelker
