The tendency of former and current members of the armed forces to share a deep, innate trust — one transcending race and gender — also has translated to word-of-mouth recommendations of which colleges are most military friendly.
“When veterans hear of the warm reception on campus from one of their own, they’re very open-minded about enrolling here,” says Ron Williams, program director of UC Berkeley’s Re-Entry Student and Veterans Services.
Despite UC Berkeley’s reputation as a liberal, anti-war bastion, it is among the schools nationally seeing its veteran population inch upward. This fall’s freshman class will include about 100 veterans, Williams says, compared to 77 last year.
Meanwhile, Banko, who has re-married, hopes to welcome more veterans to San Diego State this fall. After three years at Hawaii Pacific, she moved back to California, where she attended community college for two semesters to earn the prerequisites needed to transfer to San Diego a year ago. She plans to graduate in 2011.
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
