Local university recognized for helping veterans

HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech is the gold standard in many areas of academics. Now they are also getting recognized for helping veterans.

Michigan Tech is now a gold-level Veteran-Friendly school, the recognition coming from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.

Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Director James Redford said, “There are seven standards that we measure against and for a university or a college to receive the gold standard, they have to achieve at least six of them.”

Those standards include benchmarks such as a curriculum that recognizes military service and gives credit academically when appropriate, there’s an active veteran’s organization on campus and financial assistance for veterans. Michigan Tech achieved Silver status last year.

They raised the bar by utilizing Kathy Pintar as a Veterans Outreach Coordinator, monitoring academic retention and graduation employment rates of veterans.

Redford said, “It’s an outstanding university that does outstanding work with our veterans. There are over 100 veterans enrolled here, actively participating in programs, getting a great education here in one of really the country’s finest universities.”

This is the first time since the program began that Tech has earned the gold.