MSU earns gold veteran-friendly status for 11th consecutive year 

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, or MVAA, has designated Michigan State University as a “gold-level” veteran-friendly school for the 11th consecutive year, reaffirming MSU’s position as one of the state's leading institutions for veterans and military-affiliated learners.

The recognition marks more than a decade of continuous excellence since the MVAA program was established, underscoring the university’s unwavering commitment to veterans, active-duty service members, guard, reserve and military families.

Patrick Forystek, director of the MSU Center for Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students, or CVMAS, emphasized the significance of sustaining this high standard over time.

“Reaching 11 consecutive years of gold-level status highlights that our commitment to student veterans and military families isn't just a point in time — it’s an ongoing, university-wide priority,” Forystek said. “We want every veteran and military-affiliated student to know that MSU is a place where they can thrive academically, professionally and personally.”

Associate Vice President in Student Affairs Kim Steed-Page echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the collaborative efforts across campus.

“Veterans and military-affiliated students bring invaluable perspective and leadership to our community,” Steed-Page said. “Surpassing a decade with 11 straight gold designations demonstrates the extraordinary work being done by the CVMAS team and our partners across campus to ensure these students receive world-class support.”

Gold certification is the highest level of recognition awarded by the MVAA’s Veteran-Friendly Schools program, which evaluates higher education institutions on their dedication to veteran-centric services. To get gold, institutions must meet at least six of seven key criteria, including:

• An established process to identify student veterans
• A dedicated veteran-specific website
• An active student veteran organization or club
• Tailored career services, advising and outcome tracking
• An on-campus veterans coordinator or designated point of contact
• A system to evaluate and award academic credit for prior military training and experience
• Comprehensive monitoring of veteran academic retention, progress and graduation rates

MSU has achieved gold-level status every year since the MVAA initiative launched during the 2015–16 academic year.

Serving under the CVMAS banner — which expanded from the former Student Veterans Resource Center to better reflect its broad support for both veterans and their dependents — the center supports a thriving campus military community that includes over 400 student veterans and more than 2,800 military-affiliated students.