Adams State University has earned the 2025-2026 Military Friendly® School designation and is ranked “Gold” in the category of Small Public.
“This designation means we have developed a community and are adamant about assisting military-affiliated students (son of a veteran, active military, or reservist) in their pursuit of a degree in higher education regardless of their current situation or previous history,” said Adams State Veterans/Military Affairs Coordinator Kenai Douglas.
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 2024-2025 survey with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard.
A Corporal in the US Marine Corp, Douglas worked alongside Senior Institutional Researcher Becky Meidinger, Ph.D., gathering data and information to receive the designation.
Dr. Meidinger appreciates Corporal Douglas and his team for their unwavering support and advocacy to ensure military-affiliated students have resources and guidance for success. She analyzed data on the successes of Adams State military students “The results reinforced the real impact of Adams State’s commitment to their education and well-being.”
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan eefault rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.
“The whole campus came together,” Corporal Douglas said. “I could not have achieved it without the support of our administration. I am excited to see where we can proceed from here and how we can continue improving our campus for current and new students.”
Dr. Meidinger’s mother earned her college degree with the educational support available to service members, and the opportunity changed the trajectory of their lives. “At Adams State, we are committed to providing that same level of support to our military-affiliated students. We strive to create an environment where they can achieve their educational and career goals with confidence.”
Visit Student Veteran Program for more information.
