For the 11th consecutive year, Felician University has achieved the Military Friendly® School designation, and for the first time, attained the highest level of recognition, Gold Award status. Felician remains committed to serving our veteran students by continuing to offer veteran tutorial and career development services, awarding special military grants and scholarships, and participating in the Yellow Ribbon military educational benefit program. The Veterans Lounge on the Lodi campus where veteran students can study, interact with their peers, and take advantage of helpful programs, was created in part with a special grant from Home Depot.

Brady Fernandez, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Veteran Recruitment, served in the United States Marine Corps from 2012 to 2016. He says Felician’s staff and faculty always went above and beyond in supporting him throughout his educational experience noting, “here at Felician University, there is a camaraderie with fellow student veterans which makes you feel like you are at home. I was a student from 2017 to 2021, and in that time, I was able to complete my undergraduate degree in Computer Science, as well as my graduate degree in Business Administration.” Mr. Fernandez says transitioning to university life from the military was difficult, and he remains forever grateful for the support he received from Felician during that transition. “I was working full-time and was able to do the accelerated program to get my Master’s. Now, with the designation as a Gold Award Institution, Felician will finally get the recognition they deserve.”

Jason Fermin, chair of Felician’s Veterans Advisory Committee (VAC), says Felician is, “grateful to veteran students who have served our nation and wants to support them so they can achieve their academic goals.” Fermin served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2004 to 2011, and in the US Army from 2012 to 2016. He graduated as a Criminal Justice major in 2017, and currently works as a Detective with the Narcotics Task Force in the Passaic County Prosecutors Office. He says the faculty and staff at Felician understand the needs of military students who have full-time jobs and families, and are, “very purposeful in ensuring that veteran students are taken care of academically and mentally, as they transition to civilian life.”

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey. The 2022-2023 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine.