For the first time, Ball State has been placed on the list of Best Online Programs for Veterans by the U.S. News & World Report, receiving four rankings for its programs.
Online undergraduate, graduate business and graduate education programs ranked eighth; online graduate nursing programs ranked 12th.
“From what [students] tell us, it’s the quality of our service,” said Beck Hannaford, veterans benefits and financial assistant coordinator. “I call people and email people back... I can’t underplay our teachers; apparently they do a good job.”
The university was recognized out of 1,200 schools in the Service Members Opportunity College Consortium, the oldest veterans academic group in the country.
It has also been recognized as a military-friendly college for five years by magazine G.I. Jobs.
During that time, the number of veteran students at Ball State has quadrupled to 413, including 100 students who are children of veterans. Hannaford said about three out of every four veteran students take online classes.
After serving as a weapons instructor for five years in the Navy, graduate CICS student Hondo Pamez came back to Ball State.
“My time in the Navy prepared me for a lot of things, but you need a degree now,” Pamez said.
He said he is hoping to become a network engineer and has enjoyed taking online classes at Ball State for the past three years.
“I enjoy the freedom of them,” Pamez said. “I want to take them because it freed up more time during the day.”
He said he spends his extra time with his wife and three kids.
Hannaford said the classes offer convenience for veterans because they have a more flexible schedule and don’t have to transfer schools if they move. Also, he said it is common for them to be uncomfortable on campus because it is a new environment.
“I get very few problems,” he said. “Veterans are technology savvy. They are computer animals.”
