For the third consecutive year, Military Times has named Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University among its Best for Vets: Colleges 2020 rankings, based on outstanding educational services to student veterans and dependents of veterans.
George Altman, the Military Times editor in charge of rankings, said, “fewer than half of the roughly 500 colleges and universities that competed for the recognition earned the right to call themselves Best for Vets in 2019. Their efforts should be commended.”
The Best for Vets: Colleges 2020 rankings encompass four categories of four-year, two-year, online/nontraditional and career and technical colleges.
Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus ranked No. 10 in the United States in the online/nontraditional category. The University’s Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., campuses were also named among the nation’s Best for Vets.
In January 2019, Embry-Riddle’s online bachelor’s degree programs for military veterans were rated No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report.
Serving Those Who Serve
Across Embry-Riddle’s three campuses, Embry-Riddle served some 33,000 students university-wide, and about 19,000, or 57 percent of them were veterans, members of the military or military dependents. A number of Embry-Riddle faculty members as well as Trustees are veterans.
“We’re honored to be named among the nation’s Best for Vets institutions,” said Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler. “The University’s legacy of support for members of the military dates back to our founding. We have long recognized that service in the military provides individuals with invaluable skills, particularly self-discipline, communication and teamwork, and an appreciation for a strong safety culture. All of those skills are essential in the aviation and aerospace fields. Embry-Riddle is proud to serve those who serve.”
Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 157, founded at Embry-Riddle in 1972, now produces the most rated officer candidates for the Air Force outside of the Air Force Academy.
The Air Force Association Outstanding ROTC Cadet of the Year award in 2018 went to Austin Fischer, a cadet with AFROTC Detachment 028 on Embry-Riddle’s Prescott, Ariz., campus. Embry-Riddle also offers opportunities with the Army and Navy ROTC as well as the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Program.
Finally, Embry-Riddle offers two transition programs for military members. The Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA) prepares transitioning military members for civilian jobs in IT. The Aviation Maintenance Technology SkillBridge initiative is an intensive nine-week program that trains transitioning service members, military spouses and veterans, and connects them with aerospace hiring partners.
