NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, has been awarded the 2018 Pro Patria Award for its steadfast support of National Guard and Reserve employees. The Pro Patria Award is the highest honor awarded by the Delaware State Committee of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). Sallie Mae leadership and employees accepted the award at ESGR’s annual awards recognition banquet in Dover.
"Sallie Mae recognizes the importance of military service and the sacrifices of our servicemembers and their families," said Gary R. Stockbridge, state chair, Delaware ESGR. "The company consistently supports its military employees and their families with assistance and services that go above and beyond."
ESGR’s Pro Patria award recognizes a company’s exemplary support to National Guardsmen and Reservists through service, community outreach, personnel policies that make it easier for employees to serve in the military, and recruitment of active and veteran personnel.
For employees on active military duty and their families, Sallie Mae serves as a resource and provides assistance during the transition to and from military duty. The company continues salary and benefits for employees on active duty beyond what is required by federal or state law. The company also offers flexible scheduling and time off for training and deployment, including time to make financial, legal, child care, parent care, and other arrangements necessitated by the employee’s service. In addition, Sallie Mae provides military caregiver leave for employees with family members who have incurred a serious injury or illness in the line of duty.
“It is an incredible honor to receive this recognition from the Delaware ESGR,” said Raymond J. Quinlan, chairman and CEO, Sallie Mae. “Our employees are our most valuable asset, and we appreciate our colleagues who are actively serving both our customers and their country through the National Guard and Reserve, and the sacrifices this requires. They deserve our gratitude and support.”
Sallie Mae’s commitment to members of the military also extends to customers, offering a number of resources to help military families manage student loans before, during, and after deployment, with a team of specially trained customer service representatives who work exclusively with military families. The company makes it easy for customers to request military benefits and goes a step further by proactively providing benefits for eligible customers.
The Pro Patria Award marks the third time Sallie Mae has been recognized by the Delaware ESGR. Last year, Sallie Mae received the Above and Beyond Award for efforts to exceed the legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. In August 2016, four Sallie Mae managers received the ESGR Patriot Award for their support of the military service members on their teams.
Sallie Mae also formally renewed its Statement of Support for the Guard and Reserve, pledging to give managers the tools they need to effectively support employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve; to encourage employment opportunities for active, transitioning, and veteran service members; and to continually recognize and support service members and their families in peace, in crisis, and in war.
For more information about Sallie Mae’s benefits for military customers, visit SallieMae.com/military. To learn more about saving, planning, and paying for college, visit SallieMae.com.
About Sallie Mae
Sallie Mae (Nasdaq: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, free scholarship search tools, free college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.
