{"id":71597,"date":"2022-09-06T17:09:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T17:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/09\/06\/these-colleges-dominated-military-times-2022-best-for-vets-list\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:54:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:54:36","slug":"these-colleges-dominated-military-times-2022-best-for-vets-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/education-transition\/2022\/09\/06\/these-colleges-dominated-military-times-2022-best-for-vets-list\/","title":{"rendered":"These colleges dominated Military Times\u2019 2022 Best for Vets list"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a new student at Bowling Green State University, Jason Kaylor, an Army veteran, had trouble finding somewhere to do his homework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He could not study at home, because he has several children. He tried out the library, but he felt that he did not fit in there. So, he started doing his homework in his car in a university parking lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then he found the campus veterans center, complete with a quiet study room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s pretty much what it started out as \u2014 a little place where I felt welcomed and kind of fit in, and where people understood me, to do my studies at,\u201d said Kaylor, 42, who is now a senior at the public university in Bowling Green, Ohio. \u201cBut the more and more time that passed with me coming in and out of the office, it really became kind of my home away home, or my second family, if you will, because of the amazing support that I received here both academically and personally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a physical space to gather can make a big difference for student veterans, as Kaylor\u2019s experience illustrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of South Carolina had no designated place for veterans to gather until January 2021, when it opened its veteran and military student center. Now, student veterans can take advantage of conference rooms, study rooms, a lounge, a canteen and a closet full of professional attire for men and women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than just a set of resources, the center is a place \u201cto be around people that understand your experiences,\u201d said student veteran Jodi Symington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students who served often come to the center to ask administrators questions about their benefits or academic issues, said Jared Evans, the executive director for veterans and military affairs at the public university in Columbia, South Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd then they run into someone here in the center that actually can help them or point them in the right direction for support, whatever it is \u2014 it could be child care, it could be job-related, housing-related, it could be anything,\u201d Evans said. \u201cIt has created an environment where there\u2019s a lot of organic conversation and interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These brick-and-mortar spaces designated for veterans are just one reason that USC and Bowling Green took the top two spots in Military Times\u2019 2022 ranking of the best colleges for veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Army veteran Jason Kaylor, left, is honored by Bowling Green State University President Rodney Rogers during the annual military appreciation football game at Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio. (Bowling Green State University)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Returning to campus, and community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ranking follows a year of transition in higher education. Many schools have shifted back toward in-person education, after more than a year of online-only or hybrid education amid the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n