Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management has been ranked the No. 5 best graduate business school for veterans in the nation by the Military Times.

This is the second consecutive year Whitman has appeared in the top five of the publication’s annual list, according to the Military Times.

More than 180 universities responded to a nearly 80-question Military Times survey, which scored schools based on “culture and curriculum that caters to military veterans,” according to a Whitman press release. Of the 77 schools to make the list, only 23 were private, including SU.

More than 100 veterans are enrolled in the MBA@Syracuse program at SU. About 26 percent of SU’s MBA students are either military or veteran students, compared to the national average of 17 percent, said Amy McHale, assistant dean for master’s programs in Whitman.

“We definitely feel proud of the ranking,” McHale said. “When one-in-four of our students are associated in some way with the military, either having served or currently serving, it’s extremely humbling for us to be ranked so highly because they are a large part of our population.”

McHale said SU’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon program has helped lead to the high ranking. The Yellow Ribbon program, which a majority of veteran students participate in,  helps them pay for their education, she said. For many SU veterans, the services come at little to no cost.

Between the university-wide services the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and Whitman offer, McHale said SU has continued to grow its support system for veterans.

“It shows the enormous amount of support that the university gets as a whole,” she said.

The MBA@Syracuse program is online-based, so it can be difficult for students — especially veterans — to meet one another and network. The Adobe Connect platform is the predominant means of communication for the classes, which consist of about 15 people each, McHale said. This technology makes the classes convenient for many of the students, she said, but makes it hard to build lasting relationships with one another.

Whitman hosts three “get-together times” for veterans to meet faculty, staff and other students, McHale said. Each year, a military reception is held, thanking the student veterans for their service. It’s initiatives like these, McHale said, that have also contributed to the school’s high ranking.

“I feel like I might be dating myself, but it’s kind of like watching the Brady Bunch,” she said, referring to the opening of each episode when a grid of headshots across the screen. “That’s what their classes look like, and so they kind of know one another, but we bring them together to make sure that they get the full opportunity of networking and being together.”

MBA@Syracuse is only a year old, but Whitman has provided educational programs to serving military members and veterans since 1952. In January, Whitman was ranked No. 44 in U.S. News & World Report’s top 50 “Best Online Programs” in the nation and last year, Whitman was also ranked second in a list of the best business schools for veterans.

Published on February 16, 2016 at 10:52 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21