Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Phyllis Noah, Communications Coordinator
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu or pnoah@shawnee.edu
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

            After years of research and compiling survey results and other data, G.I. Jobs magazine has named Shawnee State University a “Military Friendly School” for 2011.
            This honor ranks SSU in the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide. The university will also be included with a listing in the 2011 Guide to Military Friendly Schools, as well as a listing online at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com.
            At the site, a new tool matches millions of military and veteran students with colleges. The site helps military veterans find the colleges that best meet their personal educational needs. The College Matchmaker tool progressively filters school search criteria, including military credit transferability, degree type, geographic location, financial support, flexibility, area of study and student support.
            The redesigned Website also includes student-veteran bloggers, an Ask the Expert tool, and resources on the new post-9/11 G.I. Bill. Users will also find full school profiles and an innovative system that allows future students to request information from multiple schools with just one click.
            The Military Friendly Schools print guide will include SSU and helps students when searching for a university. The new post-9/11 G.I. Bill legislation last year arms military students with more tuition money than ever before in history.
            Last spring semester, the SSU Veterans Association was formed and has become very actively involved in veteran’s affairs at Shawnee State.
            “If a veteran or his family needs help with financial aid, benefits from the VA, or if they are having trouble in school, they can come to us and we can direct them where they need to go for help,” said Andrea Werner, president of the SSU Veterans Association.
            Since the formation of the organization, Werner, of Wheelersburg, has been traveling the country for veterans and was named the first national director of Women Veterans Initiatives and Advocacy for the Student Veterans of America (SVA). She also serves on the Advisory Committee for Women Veterans in the state of Ohio.