U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Though it may seem a bit peculiar to read about next year’s graduation taking place in May, the headline is not a typo.
I’m writing to inform you about a major change to next year's graduation timeline. Graduation Week 2017 activities begin May 19, which means we'll adjust the spring 2017 academic calendar. We will publish the updated schedule as soon as possible.
Last week, we reviewed the overall excellent conduct of our 2016 graduation activities. We took an institutional perspective beyond the specifics of graduation week to set the conditions for overall continuous improvement across the Academy, especially regarding the academic year and summer schedules. We decided to move graduation day to May 24.
The move is part of a strategic shift to provide more flexibility for summer activities including cadet and faculty research, training and professional development, and show courtesy to our excellent Academy staff by allowing Memorial Day Weekend to be a time for Team USAFA to celebrate and honor Memorial Day with family and friends.
Thank you for all you do every day to make our Academy and your cadets exceptional. Your passion and dedication enables us to build on the success of this year's graduation event to make 2017 our best graduation week yet!