Lake Superior State University and the
Michigan National Guard have formed an agreement that will make it easier for Army and Air National Guard members to work toward a college degree.
The agreement comes on the heels of a similar U.S. Coast Guard agreement that was also designed to encourage servicemen and women to take university courses. It is available to students on LSSU's main campus as well as regional centers in Escanaba, Gaylord, Petoskey and, beginning this fall, Dearborn.
Each active drilling National Guard member receives a stipend through the National Guard Federal Tuition Assistance program that is intended to partially cover the costs of taking college courses. Through this agreement, LSSU accepts that stipend as full payment for tuition.
"We're very pleased to extend this educational opportunity to National Guardsmen who want to take classes from Lake Superior State University," says LSSU president Tony McLain. "We've found that soldiers make excellent students with their maturity and work ethic."
The agreement is available to any active drilling Michigan National Guard member eligible under National Guard Federal Tuition Assistance and follows LSSU's military rate for tuition, which is the same as the TA Assistant rate as set by the military, currently $250 per credit.
The benefit builds upon LSSU's military tradition as a converted military base. The school, which is on the site of former US Army Fort Brady, was opened in 1946 in part to help serve the many veterans who were enrolling in colleges after World War II.
Writer: Sam EgglestonSource: Tony McLain, Lake Superior State University
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