“This is a testament to the robust work which happens around campus to create meaningful education paths and to support our military-connected students,” said Kyle Hurwitz, director, Center for Military-Connected Students.

With almost 3,200ÌęÌęenrolled, military students account for more than 12% of UofL’s total enrollment.

Each year, Military Friendly¼ evaluates universities based on graduation outcomes, culture, military support and financial aid, among other areas. Military Friendly¼ Gold institutions are selected for “leading practices, outcomes and effective programs.”

“We are very proud to continue to earn these designations year after year,” said President Gerry Bradley. “We recognize and celebrate the Center for Military-Connected Students, whose dedicated efforts enable us to promote student success at the highest levels.”Ìę

One of the many programs supporting UofL’s service members is Red Bird Allies, a once per semester training for faculty and staff to learn about the military-connected student experience and to understand the concerns, unique perspectives, strengths and challenges of this student population.Ìę

Emily Miles, an academic advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of more than 200 faculty and staff Red Bird Allies. She frequently advises students who have been in the military, have a parent in the military or want to join when they graduate.Ìę

“Thanks to the training I received, I feel comfortable giving guidance about transferrable credits or financial coverage concerns and referring them to the highly capable specialists at the Center for Military-Connected students,” said Miles. “Feedback from students indicates UofL’s support of military-connected students is exceptional.”

Interested in becoming a Red Bird Ally?Ìę.

Through a survey, Military Times collects data from colleges nationwide. With this information, institutions are evaluated based on academic quality, student support services, affordability and outcomes for veterans – including graduation and retention rates.Ìę

This year’s survey showcased a substantial increase in online/hybrid program options and a meaningful growth in veteran resources like peer mentorship centers and mental health services for post-service transition.

This latest honor adds to the accolades of UofL’s military-connected student supports. In 2025, the Cardinal community received recognition as aÌęfor the fourth year in a row. UofL is one of only 27 Carnegie research 1 institutions in the nation to earn a designated status, and the only one in Kentucky to earn a “Gold” designation from Military FriendlyÂź, a veteran-owned company that ranks universities for how well they support military students.

With almost 2,600 military-connected students enrolled, military students account for more than 10% of UofL’s total enrollment. TheÌęÌęis committed to providing a supportive space with five full-time staff members dedicated to assisting military students on campus. Some of the benefits include scholarships for veterans and their dependents, lower tuition rates and multiple fee waivers.Ìę

To learn more about the Best for Vets Colleges rankings,Ìę

Sparks, a junior majoring in civil and environmental engineering, plans to complete his Master of Business Administration at UofL before relocating to Colorado Springs to work on environmental solutions.

Sparks hails from French Village, Missouri. From 2006 to 2014, he served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. After completing basic training and advanced individual training, his first duty station was Fort McNair, Washington D.C., where he was assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard. Ìę

The Old Guard’s primary role is to conduct funerals in Arlington National Cemetery for active duty, retired, and veteran service members. It also provides flag display backgrounds for press conferences and ceremonies in the Pentagon and Capitol building, and “maintains traditions with the Commander-in-Chiefs’ Guard.”

Sparks performed roles as escort platoon member, full honors firing party member, firing party commander, colors guard member, regimental colors bearer, Arlington Lady escort, and fire team leader.

Memorable moments from his time there include marching in the funeral of President Gerald Ford and serving as an escort at the inauguration of President Obama. He also earned the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Parachutist Badge, and attained the rank of Sergeant.

In 2010, he re-enlisted and was sent to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. While there, he served as a fire team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, MRAP truck commander, and Stryker vehicle commander, earning the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and obtaining the rank of staff sergeant. During a deployment to Kirkuk, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sparks sustained injuries from an improvised explosive device.

Several years passed between separating from the Army and choosing to attend college. After choosing to leave Missouri, he selected the University of Louisville after researching schools with environmental engineering programs in cities with a relatively low cost of living.

As a first-generation student, returning to school after a 16-year break, Sparks said he faced challenges, including navigating the Department of Veteran Affairs’ education benefits system. He credits the UofL Center for Military-Connected Students, particularly VA education benefits manager Carissa Gentry, for supporting his transition.

“She always made time when it was needed,” Sparks said. He says from the first time she helped him work through some bugs in the VA benefits process, to personally handling tasks outside of her scope of work, to being an active listener during a “vent session” – she always went above and beyond. Ìę

UofL is proud to recognize and celebrate Sparks and all members and veterans of the U.S. Army on the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, June 14 of this year.

UofL is one of only 27 Carnegie research 1 institutions in the nation to earn a designated status, and the only one in Kentucky to earn a “Gold” designation from ¼, a veteran-owned company that ranks universities for how well they support military students.

With almost 2,600 enrolled, military students account for more than 10% of UofL’s total enrollment.

Each year, Military FriendlyÂź evaluates universities based on graduation outcomes, culture, military support and financial aid, among other areas.

The list highlights universities that “strive toward and succeed in the areas that matter most in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and, ultimately, satisfying careers in the civilian world,” according to Military Friendly¼.

“We are very proud to have earned these designations for a fourth consecutive year,” University of Louisville President Gerry Bradley said. “Designations like this validate the institution’s committed efforts to improving student success. I want to recognize and thank the Center for Military-Connected Students, and all units whose efforts enabled us to earn these designations.”

The Center for Military-Connected Students has been housed in the renovated Brodschi Hall since fall 2023. In fall 2024, Brodschi’s basement renovation was completed.

The final phase modernized two restrooms, added a study room, a meeting room, a ping-pong table, foosball table, a television and comfortable seating options.

Tony Duran, an Army veteran and second-year law student at , said the center is a place he’s had some of the best conversations on campus, with people who “get what it means to serve.”

In a typical week, the facility sees 100 students come through its doors for coffee, tea and snacks, while others use the space to study, hang out, or learn about their educational benefits through the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Brodschi Hall continues to be identified as a benchmark in the state, region and nation.

The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs encourages institutions in Kentucky to visit Brodschi Hall. The center has hosted visitors from as far away as California.

In May, the center will celebrate the graduation of more than 200 military-connected students, representing all 12 of UofL’s schools and colleges.

Second Lieutenant Pavel Buechter was commissioned in 2023 and is currently stationed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California, where he is a mission integrator with the 2nd Range Operations Squadron, where he manages and integrates government and commercial launches at Vandenberg.

In this role, he works with contractors like Northrop Grumman, Firefly Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Stratolaunch and SpaceX.

He supports the launch service providers by making sure they abide by range policy and procedures, along with managing their use of government launch infrastructure.

Buechter represents the range and the Space Force to mission partners, and helps establish the path to mission success. His current focus is managing the restoration and revitalization of a launch complex to support its first mission in more than 15 years.

Buechter, who is cross trained as a Range Operations Commander (ROC), has overseen the launch of various commercial SpaceX launch missions.

In 2023, Buechter was awarded the U.S. Space Force quarterly award for commitment. He has also been awarded various team awards for mission integration and nuclear deterrence.

He said his favorite part of the job is getting to be a part of the team that, “launches rockets and puts satellites into orbit to support the warfighter downrange.”

Buechter said he chose UofL because of the fully online master’s degree and how well UofL supports its military-connected students. The program is also offered at a reduced tuition rate, which matches the military tuition assistance rate.

Buechter said his degree will help him better oversee Space Force projects and make him a better leader.

Louisville native and United States Marine Corps veteran John Davis is a senior majoring in .

After attending a small liberal arts college in central Kentucky, Davis decided college was not for him and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2012, where he served until 2022.Ìę

Davis then enrolled at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, which he calls the “best engineering school in Kentucky.”

As an infantryman in the Marine Corps, Davis worked his way up to sergeant, infantry squad leader and marksmanship instructor.

After boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, his first assignment was with the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in Twentynine Palms, California as a scout.

While assigned to Twentynine Palms he deployed twice to the Pacific. During the first deployment, he was attached to the Combat Assault Battalion in Okinawa. During his second deployment, he was with the Battalion Landing Team of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which embarked aboard the USS Green Bay and the USS Bon Homme Richard.

In addition to Okinawa, Japan, his deployments took him to Thailand and the Philippines.

After reenlisting, Davis was stationed in Virginia at the Formal Marksmanship Training Center as a Designated Marksmanship Instructor. At first, he worked on a range facility on Naval Dam Neck Annex in Virginia Beach.

In 2018, the Formal Marksmanship Training Center’s operations moved to a new range facility aboard Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.

While assigned to the Formal Marksmanship Training Center, Davis’ duties included range safety officer and coach for individual shooters, who ranged from private to general.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, Davis’ unit was the only active Marine Corps range facility on the eastern seaboard.Ìę

This caused the unit to become extremely busy. He recalls working virtually every weekend for the rest of 2020, as reserve units from as far as New York were bused down to meet their numbers.

Davis is married, with two young kids. He is currently working part-time in his third co-op at GE Appliances and anticipates working at GE after graduating from UofL.

Fenton is a U.S. Navy veteran who served onboard the United States ship John F. Kennedy (CV-67) from 1972 to 1978.

During his service onboard the Kennedy, Fenton was part of the “ships company,” and was responsible for the storerooms, which served more than 5,000 sailors.

This included snacks, cigarettes and retail shops as well as the barber shops, dry cleaning, and laundry.

He spent 17 months in the Mediterranean, six months in the Caribbean, and three months in the North Atlantic. Among his favorite memories of his time in the Navy are the countless ports of calls where he was able to interact with residents. In retirement, he has been able to visit many of these same places.

Originally from Trumbull, Connecticut, Fenton, who is also a retired Xerox chief information officer, has been in Louisville since 1995. Ìę

Fenton is a at UofL, a program that offers students in Kentucky who are 65 years or older the chance to take a select number of classes for free at any state-supported institution. The program, which started in 1976, can count toward a degree or simply be for fun.

Although he has a bachelor of science in computer science and economics, the last 20 years of Fenton’s career were spent as a manager and leader, and he was not actively involved in the hands-on technologies.

Taking classes at the Speed School is helping him achieve his goal of getting educated in newer technologies, he said. Getting back into education was a big change and he has found it to be both challenging and rewarding.

With the knowledge and skills Fenton is gaining in the program, he intends to build tools, games, or applications for mobile.

Fenton said that Ibrahim Imam, an associate professor in the computer science and engineering department, has always been available to help and provide suggestions throughout the program.

He and his wife have four children and eleven grandchildren.

Fenton believes it is very important to continue to learn no matter your age and he is intent on setting a good example for his grandchildren. He said UofL has given him an opportunity to learn something new almost every day.

Serving on the Department of the Air Force Women’s Initiative Team, Nichols has made significant contributions to efforts that improve quality of life, include advocating for more inclusive female hair regulations.

Nichols also assisted in updating the U.S. Air Force’s breastfeeding policy. Under this new policy, every unit is responsible for creating a safe and clean space for mothers to pump while at work. The policy also mandates breaks to allow time to pump and protects the mother’s right to continue to do so while deployed or on temporary duty. Ìę

Nichols’ efforts also contributed to the Air Force revising its parental leave policy. The policy now incorporates more inclusive language and doesn’t exclude fathers as primary caregivers. It allows 126 days off for the birthing parent, and 42 days for the non-birthing parent. Ìę

Originally from Minden, Louisiana, Nichols has served in the Air Force since 2015 as a diagnostic imaging instructor. She now serves at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, where she instructs all Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard x-ray technicians. She has also served at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, and Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.Ìę

During her service, she has graduated from Airman Leadership School, enlisted joint professional military education 1, instructor evaluator seminar, and the Air Force Foundations Facilitator Seminar.

At UofL, Nichols credits professor Lori Paris for boosting her confidence in becoming a social worker by incorporating interactive peer-work and assignments.

“UofL has done a great job at incorporating group work into classes and other opportunities to connect with my peers,” Nichols said. “The professors also have been extremely accommodating and helpful in providing timely feedback.”

Nichols and her husband have a 5-year-old son and are expecting a second child. After earning her master’s of social work and post graduate licenses, she plans to pursue a commission in the Air Force as a social worker.

For the third consecutive year, UofL has been recognized for serving these students by earning the Military FriendlyÂź Gold Designation for 2024-2025. This designation is given to institutions who lead practices, outcomes and programs for military service members. UofL also earned the 2024-2025 Military FriendlyÂź Spouse School designation.

“We are honored by these designations and remain committed to improving how we support this population of students who serve our country,” said Kyle Hurwitz, director of the Center for Military-Connected Students.Ìę

Among the factors that contributed to UofL’s gold status:

• In October 2023, the Center for Military-Connected Students moved into its new home in Brodschi Hall. The renovated, three-story, nearly 5,000 square foot facility quickly become a home away from home for the hundreds of military-connected students who go through its doors each week. Phase two of the renovation was completed in September 2024. This new space in the lower level of the building includes a lounge and game room, a meeting and study room, a Student Veterans of America chapter room, and two additional restrooms.

• The center’s dedicated building has become a benchmark in the state, providing space for the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs to host their spring 2024 student success summit, along with a meeting area for military-related delegations from institutions in California and Ohio. The center also has collaborated with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to bring VA resources and personnel to campus for veteran students.

• In spring 2024, the center certified the enrollment of more than 1,000 students using VA education benefits in a single semester. Additionally, in collaboration with UofL’s Office of the Bursar, the team processed almost 800 military tuition assistance enrollments, up from more than 600 in 2023-2024.

• From a policy advocacy perspective, staff in the center were successful in collaborating with other campus partners to advocate for elimination of the student recreation fee for online students.

• By fall 2024, almost 200 faculty and staff members had completed Red Bird training. This program is designed to help faculty and staff become more knowledgeable about the military-connected student experience. Upon completion of the training, staff are equipped to understand the issues, concerns, unique perspectives, strengths and challenges of military-connected students. These allies become resources for students and other faculty and staff members in their units.Ìę

• Members of the center also have served as panelists on a podcast of the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals and Symposium for Military-Connected Students. Additionally, center staff also led the effort to create the first Atlantic Coast Conference Veteran and Military Support Network. The effort brought together the military-connected and veteran offices/centers from the 18 member institutions, providing a forum to share best-practices in programming, processes and policy. The new group met for the first time in fall 2024 and is planning a conference in 2025.

UofL is one of only 27 Carnegie Designated Tier 1 Research institutions in the nation, and one of only three in the Atlantic Coast Conference to earn a Military Friendly¼ Gold designation. The almost 2,400 military-connected students enrolled at UofL account for more than 10% of UofL’s total enrollment. In spring 2024, more than 230 military-connected students graduated, representing all 12 UofL colleges and schools.

The Military FriendlyÂź organization awards designations based on public data and proprietary data gathered through an annual data-driven survey process. Institutions are evaluated in six weighted areas: academic policies & compliance; graduation & career outcomes; culture & commitment; military student support & retention; admissions and orientation; and financial aid & loan repayment.

As a chief marine science technician, Robinson is responsible for enforcing maritime safety and security regulations across the United States. His missions range from pollution response to the inspections of port facilities and foreign and domestic vessels, along with ensuring proper documentation, safety procedures and other requirements are met.

A Beaver Dam, Ky. native, Cody enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2007. He is currently stationed at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, Pa. Throughout his military career, Robinson has served throughout the nation including: Galveston, Texas where he served on the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless, the lower Mississippi River region in Memphis, Tenn., the Ohio Valley in Louisville, Ky., northern New England in Portland, Maine and the Puget Sound area in Seattle, Wash.

In 2010 he deployed in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill support, where he was tasked with locating and cleaning oil from the ocean’s surface using an on-board skimming system. One of his favorite memories in the Coast Guard was on the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless during operations in the Caribbean Sea. He recalls standing watch when the boat would go dark and all lights were turned off, the water was completely still and he witnessed “a perfect canvas for a moon lit sky full of bright stars.”

Robinson is surrounded by a family of Cardinals; his wife, father, sister, and brother in-law all earned degrees from UofL. He hopes the organizational tools and management techniques learned through his UofL education will help him succeed in senior leadership roles within the Coast Guard.

He said the Organizational Leadership and Learning program is perfect for working adults because, “in each class you are provided with a new organizational tool you can immediately implement or try out at your workplace.”