Academic year to feature new staff, updated program

  • Published
  • By Brig. Gen. Andrew Armacost
  • Dean of the Faculty
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Welcome back! It was a busy summer across the Academy and on the hill. Cadets and faculty immersed in leadership training programs, traveled across the globe and participated in summer classes. Our faculty has also been working on cutting-edge research, presenting their work at academic conferences and preparing for a new academic year. Now it's time to refocus on our teaching mission and look to the semesters ahead.

First, I'd like to offer a special welcome to our newest class. The Class of '18 already has an impressive record of accomplishment. One in 10 cadets is a high school valedictorian; one in nine an Eagle Scout and one in two cadets graduated in the top 10-percent of their high school's graduating class.

The next phase of the Academy's challenge starts Friday as you march back from Jacks Valley and begin one of the nation's most demanding and rewarding four-year academic programs. For most, this will be your first time in college courses. With steady effort and wise time-management, you will succeed as you did in Basic Cadet Training.

Welcome back as well to the upper three classes. You already know the demands and rewards of the academic year. For three-degrees, it is time declare a major. Two-degrees will dive into their majors, while the firsties round out their education and prepare for serving on active duty.

Welcome, also, to our new faculty. More than 100 new faculty members went through New Instructor Orientation this summer, and I know that they're enthusiastic about getting into the classroom. I'm confident they will be impeccable role models for our cadets.

As we return to the classroom, we expect some changes from past fall semesters. In the senior leadership of our faculty, Col. Troy Harting is our newest permanent professor, taking the reins of the Management Department. The faculty is also saying farewell to two of our longest-serving department heads, Col. Rich Fullerton, from the Economics and Geosciences Department, and Col. Paul Pirog from the Law Department. They have truly inspired thousands of officers, and I have had the distinct privilege of working closely with each over the course of many years.

Parents' Weekend will also be different this fall. Over the years, Parents' Weekend has grown from a touchstone for fourth class cadets and their families to an occasion involving nearly every cadet and their families. To keep the weekend as a meaningful and safe experience for our thousands of visitors, we are rethinking the event. Rather than hold class on the Friday before the long weekend, we will highlight our departments, majors and professions to cadets and their families. For four-degrees and three degrees, the faculty will showcase our programs in a format similar to Majors Night. This will help our newest cadets -- with guidance from their families -- make informed decisions about academic majors. More senior cadets will learn about the different paths they can take on active duty through an Air Force job fair that afternoon.

This semester we will also reach a crossroad on the curriculum, choosing between a fixed core and a core with more flexibility. Both options will still provide broad educational preparation for our future officers. When we have decided on the philosophy, we will build detailed frameworks to flesh out the details. In the spring, we will subject the draft curriculum to independent review. These are critical days for establishing the education of the next generation of Air Force leaders.

Once again, welcome back. Prepare for an exciting year ahead in which we will continue to challenge our cadets and ourselves to make remarkable contributions to our Air Force.