CHICAGO — DePaul University was designated a military friendly school by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business that focuses on military personnel transitioning into civilian life.

Their 2014 list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that best support military service members and veterans to ensure their success on campus. Some 12,000 schools were surveyed to determine this year’s list of military friendly schools, according to Victory Media.

“We are incredibly proud to be included on this list of institutions of higher education that are doing the right thing for our veterans returning from military service. We’ve worked really hard to ensure that our campuses provide a friendly environment for our veterans,” said Haydee Nuñez, DePaul’s director of adult, veteran and commuter student affairs. Nuñez leads DePaul’s efforts to enhance student veteran outreach and recognition, provide transition services and establish support policies and procedures.

Veteran and military students historically have been an important part of the DePaul community. Last fall, about 500 student veterans were enrolled at DePaul. With their number and impact on campus growing notably in recent years, DePaul established an Office of Veterans Affairs in 2009, to centralize and expand its outreach.

The office assists student veterans with benefits and connects them to fellow veterans as they transition to academic life. Through collaborations with university and external partners, the office provides support, resources and programs. More information at: http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/va.

According to Sean Collins, vice president at Victory Media and a Navy veteran, “Inclusion in this list show’s DePaul’s commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students.”

Additional information about the 2014 list of military friendly schools is at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com.