News

Academy supt. says Polaris Hall construction almost complete

  • Published
  • By Ray Bowden
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Most of the major construction on the Air Force Academy's Center for Character and Leadership Development, a $49 million project financed by the government and hundreds of private donors, will be complete by the end of the year, said the Academy's superintendent, Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson.

The cost of the CCLD is shared between $27.5 million in government funds allocated for military-construction and $21.5 million in private donations. Retired Lt. Gen. John Regni, the Academy's 17th superintendent (2005-2009), and the U.S. Air Force Academy's Endowment, the institution's charitable foundation, developed the partnership responsible for the private donations. 

"Our donors represent Academy graduates with a lifetime of service in uniform, those who have gone on to lead in the private sector and communities, and others who simply value what we do and choose to support their nation's Air Force Academy," Johnson said. "I am extremely grateful for the commitment and foresight Academy donors have shown in helping us enhance future officers' preparation for service to our nation.

The first private donation for the new CCLD building was accepted by the Academy on Nov. 1, 2007, according to an Academy Endowment report. Federal funds were authorized in 2011 and construction began in October 2012, said an Academy Installations Directorate official. 

"We want to make sure taxpayers and those who so generously donated to this effort realize how much the new building they have supported will inspire cadets almost every day," Johnson said. "Important character and leadership development work - research, teaching, meetings here - help us reinforce the integrity, dedication to service and excellence in leadership our Air Force must have to meet future challenges to our national security." 

A permanent name has not yet been given to the facility but the exterior of the building housing the CCLD has been unofficially named Polaris Hall.

"Academy buildings are often named for model Air Force figures and referring to Polaris Hall by the name that inspired and shaped its architecture will help all who see it understand its real purpose," Johnson said. "The purpose and spirit of Polaris Hall is to give an inspirational home to one of the Academy's essential purposes - the advancement of character and leadership. "We want to be a center of excellence for people to gather and share lessons learned from the public and private sectors, from other institutions of higher learning, from across our country and around the world." 

The Academy superintendent said the philosophical intent behind Polaris Hall is embodied in the skylight tower, a glass and steel landmark designed to point toward the sky at 38.83-degrees, toward Polaris, the North Star. The skylight's orientation toward true north represents a moral compass, symbolizing the Academy's pursuit of excellence and honor.

"The tower is a visible reminder of our aspiration and responsibility to serve our fellow citizens with excellence in all we do," Johnson said. "It represents how we prepare Academy cadets to lead and how they and our staff can stay on the cutting edge."

Far more important than the building's exterior is its mission to elevate and integrate character and leadership development, advance the scholarship of character and leadership and facilitate education and experiences for cadets and Academy staff, she said.

The idea for today's CCLD began during the tenure of retired Lt. Gen. Brad Hosmer, the Academy's 12th superintendent (1991-1994). 

Hosmer's original vision was to better integrate everything we do here concerning character and leadership development, Johnson said.

"Then and now, we recognize the need to stay current with the generations of cadets and the needs of the Air Force, and we're doing that very intentionally," she said. "That's the internal mission. The CCLD also has a mission external to the Academy: to be part of the larger conversation about character and leadership development. That's a critical conversation for the nation and for our cadets. "