Dean's call: Brig. Gen. Armacost speaks on Academy strategic planning

  • Published
  • By Amber Baillie
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Air Force Academy Dean of the Faculty Brig. Gen. Andrew Armacost welcomed faculty and staff to the new academic year, discussing the essence of the Academy and the its latest strategic initiatives, during a dean's call in Fairchild Hall Aug. 21.

Armacost also spoke to Academy educators on current academic developments, a new dean of faculty logo and possible changes to the core curriculum.

"We're undergoing a period of strategic planning," he said. "By the end of the semester, you will have a new Academy strategic plan focusing on the Pathways to Excellence initiative, on public-private partnerships and the Center for Character and Leadership Development as an Air Force asset."

Armacost said the essence of the Academy outlines components the institution has carried out for years.

"Character and leadership is our charter, focusing on the Air Force mission is our charter, giving an immersive experience to our cadets is part of our charter," he said. "Everything on that list is something we as the faculty should be focused on. Why we do it is to create innovative and agile Airmen to serve our nation - committed leaders of character who are committed to principles of inclusiveness."

The dean said the essence of the Academy will be accomplished through the Pathways to Excellence.

"It recognizes there are alternate pathways for cadets to make it through this institution and still satisfy the core essence of who we are," Armacost said. "We're going to focus on issues of responsibility, commitment and maturity. This is what led to the change in the dorm inspection policy for cadets, where we are giving them a bit more decision-making authority about how they use their time, but also holding them accountable for bad decisions they might make."

Armacost informed the faculty on the potential of conducting commitment reviews before cadets commit to the Air Force.

"There are existing processes in place to do this," he said. "The focus is on commitment, having demonstrated the attributes and characteristics they need to demonstrate their commitment to the Air Force."

Armacost said senior faculty are deciding whether to have a fixed core curriculum or one that offers flexibility.

"I want to focus on the idea of change, consistent with the Academy superintendent's mission and Air Force chief of staff's vision about re-looking at everything at the Academy," he said. "We need to take a hard look at how we deliver our education to cadets because that's what we do as educators. Flexibility has benefited a number of cadets in a number of academic majors. I think it's a momentous opportunity for us to really examine and redesign the core curriculum in a way that meets the needs of the 21st century Air Force officer."

Armacost said the DF plans to redesign its logo and is accepting input from faculty and staff. He wants to have a new logo that emphasizes the ties between the faculty and the larger Academy.

"I need each and every one of you to be impeccable," Armacost said.

"It's a powerful word," he said. "Inappropriate behavior with cadets, whether it's drinking or other behavior, this is not what we do as professionals. Being impeccable doesn't mean without fault, but when it comes to your integrity and your behavior, you must be mistake-free."

Love your people, the dean said.

"It's a commitment stronger than merely taking care of your people," he said. "Loving your people implies working with them to become better but also knowing them to a degree that you can identify when things aren't going right in their lives. We put cadets through a pretty stressful environment here. Please also pay attention to the indicators that they're not doing OK and help them get help."

The Academy is where everyone needs to continue to develop and grow, Armacost said.

"Our officer development system is a great interconnection here - all the different elements coming together to develop officers," he said. "We also need to focus on your development (faculty and staff). We need to focus on opportunities we can give faculty members to become better people, better scholars, better mentors and role models for our cadets. Being scholars and demonstrating to our cadets the importance of life-long learning is essential."

Armacost also presented quarterly awards to faculty and staff. Lt. Col. Tim Jung, Aeronautics Department instructor was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service during a deployment to Afghanistan from 2012-2013.