For the ninth time, Lord Fairfax Community College has received the honor of being named a Military Friendly® School by Victory Media. LFCC was also, for the first time, given a silver designation, meaning its programs scored within 30 percent of the 10th-ranked institution in the category of small community colleges.
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Victory Media with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.
LFCC scored especially high in the areas of financial aid and assistance – exceeding the Military Friendly® standard by 78 percent – and admissions and orientation – exceeding the standard by 68 percent. The culture and commitment standard was exceeded by 49 percent.
In addition to operating a dedicated Veterans Center in Fairfax Hall on the Middletown Campus – a spot where 245 currently enrolled student veterans can share camaraderie, use the free printing service, grab coffee and meet with veteran academic advisor/certifying official Sharon Painter and veterans advisor Anna Citrenbaum – LFCC’s Student Veterans Organization recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and was also presented with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition signed by 10th District U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock.
LFCC has recently become a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) partner. To earn this certification, the college received education and training in the best practices of recruiting, hiring and retaining veterans as employees. Painter and Citrenbaum are pursuing V3-Educator certification.
“We strive to ensure that every student veteran feels supported and valued for their service, as well as for the additional skills and traits they developed through their military service,” Painter says. “Here at LFCC, we do all we can to help them have a successful transition into civilian life and successfully pursue their educational and career goals.”
The 2018-2019 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.
The SVO is hosting a federal resume writing workshop, Thursday April 19. It is open to both students and the community at large. Presented by a Virginia Employment Commission representative, the workshop is 1- 3pm in Fairfax Hall, room 602. Reserve your spot by calling Painter at (540) 869-0768, or emailing [email protected].
About The Author
