Gold Standard: Lander Recognized for Supporting Those Who Serve Our Nation

Lander University has been named a Gold Standard awardee by the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA), a statewide recognition for its commitment to those who have served the nation.

The honor, awarded through the South Carolina Military Academic Recognition Program, recognizes Lander’s efforts to provide a welcoming, supportive environment where veterans, active-duty service members and other military-connected students can succeed in the classroom and beyond.

“Receiving Gold Standard recognition directly from the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs is something we are extremely proud of,” said Brent Delgado, director of Military and Veteran Services at Lander.

“This is not simply recognition of one office or one program. It reflects the work being done across Lander to make sure veterans, service members and their families have the resources and support they need to succeed,” he said. “Most importantly, it shows our military-connected students that Lander’s commitment to them goes far beyond words.”

Gold is the program’s highest level of recognition and requires an overall evaluation score of at least 90 percent, Delgado said.

SCDVA evaluates institutions on the actual services and infrastructure they have in place for military-connected students, including dedicated veteran resources and personnel, academic and career support, military-specific faculty/staff training, recognition of military training and experience for academic credit, financial support, student veteran organizations, and other institutional practices, he said.

“I think an important part of this award is how small the Gold group is. Only Lander and Clemson University earned this designation among South Carolina’s traditional, four-year public universities, he said. “For a university of our size, I think that speaks volumes about what Lander has built for its military-connected students.”

The designation follows Lander also being recognized nationally as a Top 10 Military Friendly School and a Top 10 Military Friendly Spouse School, Delgado said.

“But this award carries a different kind of significance. This recognition comes directly from the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the state agency serving the population we are trying to support,” he said. “To have SCDVA evaluate our programs and services and place Lander at its highest level of recognition is meaningful validation that we are doing this work the right way.”

In the award notification, Lander was recognized for creating “an educational environment reflecting the highest standards of service to those who have served the nation.”