Syracuse University has claimed fourth place in a U.S. News & World Report ranking of the best colleges for veterans nationwide.

The magazine launched the new “Best Colleges for Veterans” ranking on Monday. SU stands behind the University of Texas at Austin, Tulane University and Pennsylvania State University-University Park in the ranking of 234 colleges nationwide.

To qualify for the ranking, colleges had to be certified for the GI Bill, participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and be part of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium. Only numerically ranked schools on U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best Colleges listing — on which SU is No. 62 — that met these criteria were considered.

Anthony Keach, president of the SU branch of Student Veterans of America, said he was surprised that SU did not rank first but felt the fourth slot was still very respectable. He said SU’s ranking should have been higher because of services such as the Veterans Resource Center.

“I feel like we’ve done enough to earn the No. 1 ranking, but if there are things we could do better, we definitely want to do it to advance our ranking,” he said. “We’re all pleased with being No. 4, but we just want to see what we can do better to try to get the top spot.”

Keach said he and other veterans consider the graduation rate as the most important goal. He added the graduation rate for veterans at SU has been more than 85 percent in the last five years.

Dan Savage, the chief of staff of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, said the ranking did not come as a surprise because of all of the work SU puts in.

“We’re very proud that the whole campus is coming together in a way that is nationally recognized,” he said.

Although SU’s programs are strong, Savage said, the school needs to work on communication with all of the different programs for student veterans. He added that the university could do a better job at integrating all the programs that are made available for veterans on campus.

Both Savage and Keach said the commitment to student veterans comes from the efforts of William Tolley, who was SU’s chancellor from 1942-1969. He also served on the presidential committee that provided the basis of the GI Bill and admitted all veterans to SU. Keach said Tolley was the first chancellor in the country to welcome veterans “with open arms.”

Savage cited Tolley’s efforts as one of the reasons for SU’s high ranking, but added that SU placed No. 4 because of a wide spectrum of resources the university provided. He also said academic programs, specifically for student veterans, were a factor in the ranking.

“There’s a whole host of programs that have evolved over the years,” he said. “There’s a really strong commitment to military veterans and active duty military folk.”

Published on November 14, 2013 at 1:49 am

Contact Ellen: ekmeyers@syr.edu | @ellenkmeyers