Jeff Williams, director of NECC’s Veterans Services, is pleased Northern Essex has been named to the “Military Times” Best for Vets list.

Veterans can expect to receive exceptional attention and service when they enroll at Northern Essex Community College according to the “Military Times” which has added NECC to its “Best for Vets: Colleges 2016” rankings.

Northern Essex was just one of 25 two-year schools nationwide to receive this honor and one of 175 colleges and universities, to receive the designation overall. More than 600 colleges took part in this year’s detailed survey.

“Achieving the “Military Times” “Best for Vets” ranking is a goal that NECC has been pursuing,” said Jeff Williams, director of NECC’s Veterans Services. “It is a very rigorous, data-driven survey and inclusion in its rankings is not easily accomplished.  I am very proud of NECC’s inclusion in the “Best for Vets: Colleges 2016” rankings.”

Now in its sixth year, the rankings factor in the results of the “Military Times” annual survey, the most comprehensive school-by-school assessment of veteran and military student services and rates of academic achievement.

The “Military Times” survey requested meticulous documentation of a tremendous array of services, special rules, accommodations, and financial incentives offered to students with military ties. In addition, they were asked to describe many aspects of veteran culture on a campus.

“Completion of the 2016 survey was a joint effort between Information Technology Services, Institutional Research and Planning, and Veteran & Military Services.  It required identifying the necessary cohorts and providing data NECC had not previously tracked,” said Williams. “Achieving the “Best for Vets” ranking would not have happened without this partnership. Prospective NECC Student Veterans and Military connected students won’t find the “Best for Vets” logo on every school website they visit. The fact that NECC proudly displays acknowledgement of its ranking lets them know that they can find the supportive campus environment necessary for their academic success.”

John Washington of Haverhill is one of the veterans served by Williams at the NECC Veterans Center. A 27-year veteran of the armed forces, he retired from the Air Force as a master sergeant in 2009. At 61 he wasn’t so much looking for a career, he says, as he was looking to further his education in a field he was interested in – wildlife sustainability. With assistance from Williams, Washington navigated the veterans’ services available to him and he tapped into the G.I. Bill.

“I had read about the Northern Essex Veterans Center,” Washington said. “Then I met Jeff and got comfortable with the school. The whole experience has turned out to be a very positive one for me.”

The “Military Times” is an independent source for news and information for service members and their families. “Military Times” and “MilitaryTimes.com” are independent sources for news and information on the most important issues affecting their careers and personal lives.

As with all Best for Vets rankings, Best for Vets: Colleges 2016 is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many factors that help make colleges and universities a good fit for service members, military veterans, and their families.

“It’s been amazing to witness how colleges all across higher education have embraced service members and their families,” said Amanda Miller, editor of Military Times’ Best for Vets rankings and special editions. “Over the past six years of our surveys, we’ve seen so many schools first begin to foster – through new policies, services and dedicated facilities – and then nurture these wonderful communities.”

“Military Times” also factored in data from the Veterans Affairs and Defense Departments, as well as three Education Department sources: the IPEDS Data Center, College Scorecard data and the Cohort Default Rate Database.

“We award the Best for Vets designation to the very best – the colleges that really are setting the example,” Miller said.

For the full Best for Vets: Colleges 2016 rankings, go to: www.militarytimes.com/bestforvets-colleges2016.

The rankings are published in full in the issues of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times on newsstands the week of Nov. 9; and online at MilitaryTimes.com, as well as ArmyTimes.com, NavyTimes.com, AirForceTimes.com and MarineCorpsTimes.com.

Military Times’ series of Best for Vets rankings includes: Colleges, Career & Technical Colleges, Business Schools, Franchises, Employers, Law Enforcement and Places to Live.