Galloway, N.J. — For the third year in a row, Stockton University has been recognized as a Top 10 school in the country for its outstanding outreach to military veterans.

Stockton was selected No. 9 among small public schools nationwide in the 2025-26 Military Friendly® School survey. The university was also recognized among small public schools in the Military Spouse Friendly Survey. It’s the fifth year in a row that Stockton obtained a Military Friendly® designation.

Stockton is one of only 878 schools in the country to receive the Military Friendly® designation and one of only 730 to receive the Military Spouse Friendly designation. More than 3,200 schools applied for the designation.

“This designation is not only the work of the Military and Veterans Success Center (MVSC), it reflects a coordinated, campus-wide effort,” said Michael Barany, director of the MVSC. “From Admissions and Financial Aid to Tutoring, Counseling Services and engaged faculty, Stockton has embraced a truly collaborative, campus-wide support model for military-connected students.”

Barany said that collaborative approach was especially evident with the launching of a weekly “Let’s Talk” initiative over the past year with Counseling and Psychological Services on campus.

“The program features a mental health peer mentor, who is also a veteran, who provides military-connected students a chance to engage in conversations around well-being, transition and stress,” Barany said. “All in a structured yet informal space within the Veterans Lounge that is both accessible and culturally responsive.”

The MVSC continued to host monthly visits from a New Jersey Department of Veteran Affairs Veteran Service Officer who can provide direct, on-campus access to state-related veteran benefits, services and resources, as well as disability claims assistance, benefits counseling and advocacy services.

Barany also mentioned that the MVSC is working on a comprehensive, data-driven assessment to better understand the evolving needs of military-connected students. The assessment asked questions about academics, student life, careers post-graduation, finances, health care and well-being and belonging.

“The survey is essential to making sure we’re not just assuming what our military-affiliated students need, but actually hearing directly from them,” Barany said. “By taking a comprehensive, data-driven approach, we can identify gaps, strengthen our support systems and ensure we’re providing the right resources at the right time to help these students succeed both inside and outside the classroom.”

Kayla Lopez, the vice president of Memberships for Military Friendly®, said the universities that earn their designation provide transformative support and demonstrate that investing in military-connected students “is both a moral imperative and a standard for educational excellence.”

“Earning the Military Friendly® designation is more than a badge of honor; it is a reflection of an institution’s deep-rooted values and strategic commitment to those who served,” she said. “These schools don’t just open doors for veterans and military spouses, they build sustainable pathways for academic success and long-term impact.”

Military Friendly® is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, and more than 2,900 organizations compete annually for the Military Friendly® designation. The designation measures an organization’s commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefits for the military community. Military Friendly® is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense or the federal government. Results are produced via a rules-based algorithm. The data-driven Military Friendly® lists and methodology can be found on the organization’s website.

The goal of the Military and Veteran Success Center (MVSC) at Stockton University is to ensure Stockton’s military-affiliated students — who are military veterans, active duty, reserve, National Guard service members, and their dependents (spouses and children) — succeed personally, academically and professionally by providing access to affordable, quality education and comprehensive support services to more than 400 military-affiliated students.

The center serves as a “first-stop shop” by assisting military-affiliated students and veterans in the transition to civilian life by coordinating the certification of education benefits for which they are eligible, providing socialization opportunities, a military-affiliated student club and the guidance, advocacy and referrals to veteran/military service organizations and college services that support their academic success.

For more information about Stockton University’s Military and Veterans Success Center, email omvs@stockton.edu or call 609-652-4315.

-- Story by Mark Melhorn, photo by Susan Allen