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IU Northwest Chancellor William J. Lowe issues statement on the campus’s acceptance of military credits

IU Northwest accepts military credits as general elective credits in compliance with American Council on Education and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs guidelines

Indiana University Northwest Chancellor William J. Lowe today issued a statement detailing the university’s policy on the acceptance of credits earned through student military service. The statement came in response to inquiries from local citizens following an article that appeared in the Feb. 20, 2012 edition of The Northwest Indiana Times, in which IU Northwest student Christopher Antkowiak discussed his concerns about the application of his military service credits toward his degree.   

The statement is as follows:   

“In accordance with Federal student privacy law, IU Northwest cannot comment publicly on any individual student's academic record or standing. We can state that Mr. Antkowiak has met with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to discuss his degree requirements and the options that are available to him. IU Northwest routinely accepts up to 12 military credits as elective credits, and those credits do appear on students’ transcripts. We are not aware of any case at IU Northwest when a student’s military credits were not accepted or counted in this way.

“Our policy complies with the recommendations of the American Council on Education’s Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services and with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ requirements for the awarding of educational benefits, which Mr. Antkowiak has received. IU Northwest is audited by the Department of Veterans Affairs annually. While military credits are accepted and posted as elective credits, they do not, for example, necessarily substitute for specific course requirements in a particular major, such as Computer Information Systems, Mr. Antkowiak’s chosen major.   

“IU Northwest is committed to providing a first-rate IU education to students from all backgrounds, including military veterans, and we recognize and appreciate the valuable service that our veterans have provided to us and to our country. We continue to look for more and better ways to assist our region’s veterans in achieving their educational goals.”

“We appreciate those constituents who have taken time to express their interest in this issue, and we hope that this explanation serves to clarify that IU Northwest does accept and honor military credits in accordance with established ACE and Veterans Affairs policies. Thank you.”