USAFA Diving Team Jumps into Las Vegas
Members of the SEPAFAPA Club are proud parents of a Cadet diving team that recently visited Las Vegas to compete in the UNLV Diving Invitational. Check out a video from the trip.
For additional information about USAFA Swimming & Diving:
Leaders explain Air Force manning impacts on Academy
by David Edwards, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
2/14/2011 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) -- Air Force officials are implementing a strategy for force management, and the Air Force Academy is included in those efforts.
Under the plan, the size of the cadet wing will be reduced from roughly 4,500 to 4,000 cadets by Oct. 1, 2012. Enrollment for each incoming freshman class will be shrunk gradually.
The 2012 freshman class will consist of 1,120 students. That number will dwindle to 1,050 for the class of 2016, but the following year the number will climb to approximately 1,165 cadets, where it will remain. Normal attrition is also being factored into the drawdown of the cadet wing's strength.
In comparison, this year's freshman class has about 1,285 cadets.
"It's tough on our admissions people; it's going to be tough on athletics," said Superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould. "It's going to have an impact on diversity."
The planned cutbacks come on the heels of directives from Defense Secretary Robert Gates and members of Congress to trim the military budget and lower the number of people serving in the armed forces.
"Without additional measures, we could grow to 7,000 over our authorized end strength by the end of fiscal year 2012," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force's chief of staff. "Based on these projections and our need to operate within our means, the secretary of the Air Force and I made the decision to intensify force management actions to meet our congressionally mandated ceiling by the end of fiscal year 2012."
The expected aftermath of those force-management actions cuts across a wide swath of the Academy's cadet-wing operations.
The impact will be felt from the admissions process onward. With fewer spots available for incoming cadet classes, an already competitive process will become even more competitive.
Col. Carolyn Benyshek, the director of admissions, said her office will not change the way it evaluates applications or the criteria used in admissions decisions.
"We're going to keep our same standards, which are pretty high," Colonel Benyshek said. "I don't foresee that changing."
The force management effort "simply means fewer qualified young men and women will get an opportunity to attend," she said.
She also said the change will require Academy officials to make appointment offers later than they have in previous years.
In addition, there will be implications for applicants who are admitted and complete Basic Cadet Training. Smaller class sizes will create more opportunities for interaction between cadets and instructors. Cramped conditions in dormitories will be eased because cadets will no longer be assigned three to a room.
Faculty levels, hiring and research should remain unaffected by the force management actions, said Lt. Col. Robert Kraus, of the Dean of Faculty's Office.
He said that's because current levels are based on a calculation of 4,000 cadets.
Finally, because actual enrollment will be brought in line with budget projections, the Academy will be able to spend more per capita on the education of each cadet.
Concerted efforts to make the Academy more diverse will continue as before, officials said, although those efforts may not show up in the statistics.
Gatekeepers said they are determined to do their part to prevent a lack of diversity in future incoming classes.
Dr. Adis Vila, the Academy's new chief diversity officer, said the Academy's recruiting directorate is spreading the word about the Academy and searching for young people who might be cadet material.
A group within the directorate focuses on attracting candidates of diverse backgrounds.
"Our aspirations are to make (the Academy) more inclusive," Dr. Vila said. "And that means those at the Academy, including cadets and permanent party -- whether civilians, retired military or contractors -- the Colorado Springs community, and all who share in this Academy. After all, the United States Air Force Academy is the Air Force's Academy and every taxpayer's Academy."
Col. John Linn, the director of resources and personnel, said the force management actions "will create challenges for our permanent party," but that the "silver lining" is it will be easier to support a smaller cadet wing.
For permanent-party personnel who are apprehensive about their job security as a result of force management, he offered some reassurance.
"Caring about each other is the core precept of our wingman culture, and we are obviously concerned about the effects various force management programs may have on our team," Colonel Linn said. "We have a team of selfless leaders and supervisors poised to prepare our personnel for involuntary measures, and if necessary, support the very small percentage that may be affected by force management considerations."
Dr. Hans Mueh, the Academy's athletic director, said the impact of reduced class sizes on Falcons sports wouldn't be readily apparent.
He said it will take a few recruiting years under the new structure to determine what effects the athletic program will incur as a result.
But he offered his best guess on a few points of concern.
First of all, he noted a direct link between enrollment and the ability to recruit athletes.
"At the D-1 level, recruiting is everything," Dr. Mueh said. "There is almost 100 percent correlation between recruiting and competitiveness.
"On the other hand, the Air Force Academy has certainly shown through the years that there is a great intangible called 'heart,' which is tough to assess," he said. "We bring in athletes we believe will be the best Air Force officers we can produce and leave it up to the coaches and players themselves to develop them to a competitive level. I would submit that we've been pretty successful in that effort."
He also provided a breakdown of the numbers, which, unlike heart, are tangible.
"In any incoming class of cadets, we have approximately 23 percent recruited athletes," Dr. Mueh said. "If you do the math for the expected incoming class of 2015, at 1,120 cadets, that gives us about 260 recruited athletes. We had been expecting to recruit about 300 cadets.
"We have allowed the five revenue sports: football, men's and women's basketball, hockey, and volleyball, to continue to fill the numbers they had been recruiting and will spread the reduction of 40 recruited athletes among the other 22 sports."
Dr. Mueh also said that spreading the smaller numbers across the athletic program is likely to minimize the impact of the enrollment reduction.
He added that the coaches have been "totally supportive of this directive from the Air Force" and that "the effect on competitiveness will be minimized."
USAFA is Best in the West Accoring to US News & World Report
The numbers are in, and we're "Best in the West" again with a top score of 100 from U.S. News and World Report!
We also ranked #1 in the West among four-year schools in freshman retention (87 percent), made the national Top 100 for graduation rates (79 percent), and tied for 11th place in the Western Region for racial ...diversity (diversity index rating of 0.39 out of 1).
We probably would have gotten "Best Quality to Price," but we would have broken the report when they tried to divide the value of a degree from the Academy by the cost of tuition ($0). Read more...
Forbes Ranks Air Force #11 School in Nation
by Jaryd Wilson, Colorado Connection
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLO. — Forbes Magazine has ranked the Air Force Academy number 11 in the nation on its 2010 America's Best Colleges List.
The rankings are compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, which evaluated more than 600 undergraduate programs.
According to Forbes, the rankings are based on several weighted factors which include: graduate surveys, average salaries of graduates, student evaluations of classes, number of alumni listed as corporate officers on Forbes listing, number of alumni listed in 'Who's Who in America,' amount of student debt at graduation, freshman-to-sophomore retention rates, and the percentage of students who graduate in four years.
These rankings put service academies in the same tier as Ivy League colleges. The Air Force Academy placed at number 16 in 2008, number 7 in 2009 and number 11 this year. For the 2010 rankings, the United States Military Academy (West Point) ranked number 4 on the list, while the U.S. Naval Academy came in at number 29, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy ranked number 105 and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy earned the number 165 ranking.
Last week’s Forbes ranking follows the national education rankings by The Princeton Review. In the Princeton Review’s The Best 373 Colleges text, released Aug. 2, the Air Force Academy ranks number 1 in the nation in professor availability. The Princeton Review ranked the Air Force Academy number one in professor availability in its 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Best Colleges editions.
At the U.S. Air Force Academy, the student-faculty ratio is 9:1, average class size is 20, 100 percent of the faculty is full-time and zero classes are taught by teaching assistants.
Eagles Receiver Chad Hall Capitalizing on Military Experience in Training Cam
By The Associated Press
He learned to be precise. He learned to prepare more diligently than everybody else. And he learned to work with a team toward a common goal.
All the things Chad Hall is engaged in this summer at Philadelphia Eagles training camp he already experienced over the last two years — and quite far from the football field. Read more...
US Air Force Academy Social Networking
Reprinted from USAFA Web Site
- US Air Force Academy (Official) at Facebook
- US Air Force Academy Athletics at Facebook
- US Air Force Academy on Twitter
- US Air Force Academy Athletics on Twitter
- US Air Force Academy on Flickr
Academy Ranked Among Nation's Best Colleges
Reprinted from US Air Force Press Release
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The Air Force Academy’s professors are among the most accessible in the nation, according to The Best 373 Colleges text, released today by Princeton Review.
Faculty availability is an expectation at a military service academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy ranks first in the nation, again, in professor availability. At the U.S. Air Force Academy, the student-faculty ratio is 9:1, average class size is 20, 100 percent of the faculty is full-time and zero classes are taught by teaching assistants. Several academic departments here also staff Extra Instruction laboratories throughout the academic day, with at least one professor available each class period to help cadets tackle questions arising from their latest lessons.
“This is the Air Force Academy's fifth ‘#1 most accessible faculty ranking’ in the past six years and validates our outstanding faculty's dedication and commitment to developing officers of character for our Air Force and our nation,” said Brig. Gen. Dana Born, Dean of the Faculty. “This national ranking is great validation our cadets once again voted the Air Force Academy as #1 for most accessible professors. That's an indisputable fact and speaks volumes about our cadets’ report on our faculty's commitment to their learning and development, year after year!”
The Princeton Review ranked the Air Force Academy number one in professor availability in its 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Best Colleges editions, and number four in the same category for its 2010 best colleges edition.“It is a wonderful reflection of our dedicated faculty that, once again, they have been recognized by the Princeton Review as being the #1: Most Accessible Faculty,” added General Born. “This recognition speaks volumes to our wonderful instructors and validates their dedication and commitment to developing officers of character for our Air Force Academy and our nation. Most of us remember that particular high school or college teacher who made a difference in our lives by demonstrating how much they cared. The Air Force Academy is full of such instructors. I am proud to be part of a cadre of this caliber and character, each of whom is a major ingredient in achieving our goal of developing lifelong learners and leaders of character for our Air Force and our nation.”
The Academy also came out in several other top-20 rankings in the nation, including:
- #4 Don’t Inhale
- #4 Stone-Cold Sober Schools
- #4 Most Conservative Students
- #4 Everyone Plays Intramural Sports
- #6 Future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution
- #20 Scotch and Soda, Hold The Scotch
The Princeton Review features the Air Force Academy and other local colleges in The Best 373 Colleges, the new 2011 edition of its annual "best colleges" guide. The guide utilizes online student surveys in 62 categories to assess the academic, administrative, social, extracurricular and quality of life aspects of life at American colleges.
The Air Force Academy’s fall semester begins Aug. 5.
For your listening pleasure...
Joe Kurpiel, an SEPAFAPA alum and father of Lt. Rob Kurpiel (Class of '06) and Capt. Christopher Kurpiel (Class of '04), sent a link to the following audio clip from NPR. Lt. Gen. Michael Gould was a guest on the NPR radio show Not My Job! Click below to listen to the show, or hear it at NPR with the link below.
Click image above to listen.
You can also listen at NPR Online.
Army has the Best Vehicles? Think Again!
Galpin Auto Tuners along with the United States Air Force have come up with an interesting recruitment tool. No, it’s not a video game – it’s an actual automobile. The Dodge Challenger Vapor is half car, half space ship – and all horse power.
Click image to read more...
A Musical Taste of the Academy
Does your Cadet miss the wonderful musical selections played each day at the Academy? If so, we've created a small music player so that you can bring these tunes right into your home!
Each tune is by the United States Air Force Band. These selections come from Esprit de Corps, America’s Ceremonial Music, an album which is no longer available. Visit the The United States Air Force Band web site to listen to a number great of musical selections.
Forbes.com Ranks USAFA #7 Best College in America 8-5-2009
As USAFA cadets begin their fall semester, they do so at the #7 undergraduate institution in the nation, according to Forbes. Forbes released its second annual America’s Best Colleges rankings on Wednesday, August 5.
The rankings are compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, which evaluated 600 undergrad colleges. The rankings are based on a several weighted factors, which are: student evaluations, alumni listed in Who's Who in America, amount of student debt at graduation, percentage of students and instructors who receive nationally competitive awards (Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes), and the percentage of students who graduate in four years.
These rankings put service academies in the same tier as Ivy League colleges. The Air Force Academy placed at #16 in 2008, moving up to #7 this year, while the U.S. Naval Academy moved from #36 to #30 over the same period. The U.S. Military Academy was ranked #1 in the nation, after placing sixth in 2008.
According to Forbes, the move illustrates strong performances on the part of all the service academies.
At the U.S. Air Force Academy, the student-faculty ratio is 9:1, average class size is 20, 100 percent of the faculty is full-time and zero classes are taught by teaching assistants.
Forbes also ranked the Air Force Academy as the #4 on its list of America’s Best College Buys. This follows the Princeton Review’s recent best colleges rankings, which put the Academy as #4 in professor availability.
For more information on the full list of rankings by Forbes, visit: www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/best-colleges-ratings-opinions-ranking-2009_land.html.
Reprinted from USAFA Press Release
SEPAFAPA Memorial Day Tribute
Click image above to play...
