Mt. Hood Community College was recently named a Military Friendly institution for the 2018-19 school year by the Military Friendly School Survey. The survey is one of the longest-running assessments of colleges’ and universities’ investments in serving student veterans and active-duty military students.
MHCC is one of 11 higher education institutions in Oregon to earn the Military Friendly designation, and one of three community colleges statewide to make the 2018-19 list. Top marks were given to MHCC for its waiving of the admission application fee for military students and veterans, for awarding college credit for military training and experience, and for offering mentoring and on-boarding support to new military students and veterans. You can see the college’s rating online.
“We’re proud to have re-earned this designation,” said Joshua Ray, coordinator of MHCC’s Veteran Services office. “We’ve held it for several years and it really shows our commitment to helping students and their families who come from military backgrounds.”
MHCC offers the only Veterans cohort in the Pacific Northwest. Earlier this year, the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) awarded a two-year grant to the college to update the MHCC Veterans Resource Center (VRC) with new furniture and computers, launch a new cohort-specific class titled “HD208: Career and Life Planning for Veterans,” and hire a part-time Outreach Specialist for the Veterans Services office.
The funds for the $60,720 ODVA grant come from Oregon Senate Bill 143, which established a $1 million grant program in 2017 to augment existing veterans-oriented campus programs at Oregon community colleges and public universities. The goal of the grant program is to support veterans during three important life stages and transitions:
- From military service to college life
- During college and the completion of a certificate or degree program
- From college to the workforce and community
Interested in learning more about the Veteran Services program at MHCC? Visit mhcc.edu/VeteranServices