Source: Ruth Stanley, 785-532-2522, stanley@k-state.edu
Website: http://www.dce.k-state.edu/military
News release prepared by: Rosanna Vail, 785-532-2720, rvail@k-state.edu
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012
Active status: University ranks as top military-friendly institution for fifth year in a row
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University is getting another salute from Military Advanced Education, which has ranked the university as a top military-friendly institution for soldiers and their families for a fifth consecutive year.
The university continues to be on Military Advance Education's list of top military-friendly institutions -- and a top choice for soldiers studying at a distance -- because of its reputation for quality programs and services that meet soldiers' unique needs, said Ruth Stanley, military student services coordinator and academic adviser in the university’s Division of Continuing Education. Last year about 2,000 military-related students enrolled in Kansas State University courses.
"K-State is a well-known university, particularly in the military community. I've had people tell me it's a great school, it has a great reputation, and they have heard from other people how great we are in helping students," she said. "If military students get deployed, we let them drop their classes without any penalty. We have an office at Fort Riley that's available for walk-ins and for advising. We work closely with students so that they can complete their degree."
Many soldiers decide to continue taking courses at Kansas State University even after being deployed or stationed elsewhere in the nation, Stanley said. The relationship they develop with their military adviser plays a large role in that decision.
"They know we're here for them, and I think they appreciate that," Stanley said. "We want them to know they're part of K-State and that we care about them."
Soldiers needing enrollment or advising assistance rely heavily on Stanley, who has served military students for 40 years.
"We try very hard to help soldiers and make things right for them," Stanley said. "I make sure that faculty and staff on campus know when soldiers need help, because our military students may have other needs than traditional students."
Stanley makes sure that military students can easily sign up for classes, and she ensures that the Army portal, GoArmyEd, connects with the university's enrollment system.
"GoArmyEd lists my email and phone number, so military students are welcome to call and email me," Stanley said. "One student who I had advised for probably 10 years got back from Afghanistan and came to see me. We had a picture taken that he posted on Facebook, saying I was the 'best adviser you could have.'"
Stanley also recently assisted a soldier stationed in South Korea.
"I bet I had 15 emails from him that day because I was advising him on how to get his classes set up and what he needed to do and how to do it," she said. "It was about 4:30 in the morning for him, and he was apologizing for calling and emailing me, and I said, 'That's what I'm here for.'"
View the university's profile on Military Advanced Education's 2012 list of top military-friendly schools at http://www.kmimediagroup.com/files/MAE_TopSchools(1).pdf, and learn more about opportunities and services the university provides military students and their families at http://www.dce.k-state.edu/military.
The university also was recognized as a military-friendly institution in October 2011 by G.I. Jobs magazine.
