PITTSBURGH—Victory Media, originator of the family of Military Friendly® employment, entrepreneurship and education resources for veterans and their families, announced today special awards for its 2017 Military Friendly® Employers and 2017 Military Friendly® Schools. For more than a decade, Military Friendly® ratings have set the standard for companies and colleges demonstrating positive employment and education outcomes for veterans and their families. New this year, Military Friendly® Awards showcase the most powerful and effective programs of all institutions earning the Military Friendly® designation.
“All of our Military Friendly® award recipients set the standard for excellence,” said Daniel Nichols, Chief Product Officer of Victory Media and head of Military Friendly® development. “They offer exceptional examples of what it means not just to build a program that meets federal requirements, but one that serves the military and veteran community from classrooms to careers.”
For 2017, Military Friendly® has named Marsh & McLennan Companies, a leading global professional services firm providing expertise in strategy, risk and people solutions, as its Overall (#1) Military Friendly® Employer, and The City College of New York as its top institution in the category of Military Friendly® Schools – Public Universities with More than 10,000 Enrolled Students.
“Marsh & McLennan Companies is pleased to be recognized as the number one Military Friendly Employer,” said Dan Glaser, President and CEO, Marsh & McLennan Companies. “Veterans have served our country with distinction, and we are proud to provide them with meaningful opportunities to contribute to our firm. And with every hire, my conviction grows stronger that it is not only the right thing to do, but it is also the best thing to do—for our company, our clients and our colleagues.”
Glaser described how Marsh & McLennan’s veteran talent initiative casts a wide net to identify veteran candidates for a range of roles. “Our ‘Silver Medalist’ program identifies impressive military veteran candidates who did not receive a job offer in their initial round of interviews and works with them to develop their interviewing skills. We work closely with these candidates to identify and place them in other positions in one of our operating companies.”
Based on the successful completion of the Military Friendly® survey, more than 200 companies and 1,200 post-secondary schools were designated as “Military Friendly®” in early November. Of these recipients, 154 employers and 541 schools have been recognized for excellence in different award categories. Awards for Top 10, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners by category (annual revenue for employers and institution type for schools) moves the entire program from a binary designation of “Are you Military Friendly®?” to “How Military Friendly® are you?”
Interim President Vince Boudreau at The City College of New York (CCNY), the flagship institution of the City University of New York system, couldn’t agree more. “CCNY is tremendously gratified to receive this recognition,” Boudreau said. “We noticed over ten years ago that veterans had begun showing up on campus for the first time in decades, but we didn’t have the apparatus to serve their needs. Crucially, however, our entire veterans’ program began when several of them called a meeting designed to build that apparatus. We think this element of our programming—that it was originally conceptualized by veterans for veterans—makes it distinct. It also demonstrates the great organizational and programmatic capacity that veterans possess, and why it is so vital that colleges like ours make every effort to embrace them.”
Award thresholds were set by the leading institution in each category. Award categories and winners are:
Military Friendly® Schools [#1 in Category]
- Public Universities with fewer than 10,000 students – University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama
- Public Universities with more than 10,000 students -The City College of New York, New York, New York
- Private Institutions with fewer than 10,000 students -The College of Saint Rose, Albany, New York
- Private Institutions with more than 10,000 students – Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Non-Traditional Institutions – Academy of Cosmetology & Esthetics – Paul Mitchell Partner School, Staten Island, New York
- Community Colleges – Mercer County Community College, West Windsor Township, New Jersey
- Private Vocational Schools – Community Business College, Modesto, California
- Online Universities – Drexel University Online
- Graduate Schools – University of California – Davis, Graduate School of Management, Davis, California
- Tier 1 Research Institutions – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Military Friendly® Employers [#1 in Category]
- Less than $500MM Revenue – PlaneTechs, LLC, Oak Brook, Illinois
- $500MM – $1 Billion Revenue – Cajun Industries, LLC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- More than $1Billion Revenue – Marsh & McLennan Companies, New York, New York
- Government & Nonprofit Entities – Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, City, New Jersey
Award levels in each category are defined as:
- Top 10 Gold – A ranked list of the Top 10 in a category based on a numerical score.
- Gold Medal – Institutions scoring within 20% of the last-ranked (10th) organization.
- Silver Medal – Institutions scoring within 30% of the last-ranked (10th) organization.
- Bronze Medal – Institutions scoring within 40% of the last-ranked (10th) organization.
Companies and schools must have successfully completed a 2017 Military Friendly® survey and been designated as a 2017 Military Military Friendly® Employer or School to be considered for the Awards program. The names of awardees are published online at https://militaryfriendly.com and will be printed in the December issue of G.I. Jobs® and the annual Guide to Military Friendly® Schools. To see a complete list of this year’s award winners, or to learn more about Military Friendly® ratings and how to participate, visit https://militaryfriendly.com.
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About Military Friendly®:
The Military Friendly® Employers and Military Friendly® Schools designation process includes extensive research and a data-driven survey of leading companies and colleges nationwide. The survey, methodology, criteria and weightings are developed with the assistance of an independent advisory council of educators and employers, and tested by EY based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media. The survey is administered for free. Criteria for consideration and recipients of the designation can be found at: https://militaryfriendly.com.
About Victory Media:
Founded in 2001, Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, entrepreneurial and education opportunities through its G.I. Jobs®, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur®, STEM JobsSM and Military Friendly® brands. Learn more about Victory Media at www.victorymedia.com.
