In its 2022-2023 rankings, Military Friendly® has named the College of Staten Island the No. 2 Military Spouse Friendly® School in the U.S. This recognition adds to numerous awards that CSI has received from the organization, recognizing the College as an institution that provides a nurturing environment for the spouses of student-veterans, as well as Military Friendly® School honors for the support that student-veterans receive.

Laura Scazzafavo, Director of CSI’s Office of Veteran Services, said, “The College of Staten Island is dedicated to helping our student-veterans have a stress-free transition into the world of academia; from admissions to graduation, we will guide our veterans through every step of their journey. We are proud to serve our nation’s heroes and their families,” said Laura Scazzafavo, Director of Veterans Support Services, who is also a United States Navy combat veteran.”

Discussing the designation process, Military Friendly® notes that “The 346 schools on this list have instituted policies to address the concerns and needs of military spouses and their families. They have constructed their admissions, retention, career counseling, and mentoring programs to help alleviate the difficulties faced by military spouses. There are flexible learning options and degree continuation programs that are designed to accommodate deployments and relocation.

“To determine the list, the Military Friendly® team collects and processes vast amounts of data that encourages schools to develop and sustain strong programs for military spouses on campus. The Military Friendly® ratings are determined through the evaluation of public data and proprietary data gathered through the annual Military Friendly® survey process. The data-driven Military Friendly® survey is available at no cost to thousands of institutions nationwide. Survey topics and questions are reviewed and developed with the assistance of an independent Military Friendly® Advisory Council comprising independent subject matter experts and industry partners representing the field of veteran education. It is important to note that the Military Friendly® scoring is fully automated.”

By Terry Mares