G.I. Jobs Magazine once again named Kent State a military-friendly school with the recent release of the magazine’s 2013 list.

This is the fourth year in a row that Kent State has received this honor. Kent State at both the Tuscarawas and Ashtabula branches also received the award for the third year in a row, according to the magazine’s website.

G.I. Jobs Magazine is a resource for civilians who are interested in military life. Every year, the magazine releases the Military Friendly Schools List to honor the top 15 percent of American colleges that are doing the most to accommodate military students.

According to the magazine’s website, the annual list is compiled through extensive research and a survey of more than 12,000 schools. Approximately 100 schools in Ohio made the list for 2013.

Alex Clawson, junior communications major and Air Force ROTC cadet, said he is glad that the Kent State student body respects the military members on campus.

“Nobody looks at me differently with my uniform on when I am walking around campus,” Clawson said. “It’s nice to know that everyone at Kent accepts us as military cadets.”

Every year, the Military Friendly Schools Academic Advisory Board, consisting of 14 members, determines survey questions and ratings, and gives each school an overall final score, according to G.I. Jobs Magazine.

Forty-five percent of the final score rates the effort of each school’s nonfinancial programs and policies implemented to recruit military students. This includes flexible learning programs and academic credit for military training.

Thirty-five percent of the final score is focused on the rating of a school’s financial efforts to recruit military students, including tuition benefits and paid military jobs within a school.

The final percentage of the overall score measures the success of schools’ recruitment and enrollment of military students.

Captain Joel Martin said students who attend other universities still come to Kent one to two times each week to participate in the Air Force ROTC program.

“Probably the primary reason that our cadets choose to attend Kent State is because KSU is the only host university for Air Force ROTC in Northeast Ohio,” Martin said.

Clawson said he enjoys being able to openly discuss his military experience in class.

“It’s nice to talk about it [the Air Force] in class and nobody thinking anything of it,” Clawson said.

Clawson is a physical training flight commander for the Air Force ROTC and said he enjoys working around all of the cadets at Kent State.

“It’s a nice, smart group of kids to be a part of,” Clawson said.

Contact Chelsea Kiko at [email protected].