Photo By Staff Sgt. Mark Shrewsbury | U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Lankford, assigned to Headquarters, United States...... read more read more
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MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.- To date, partnerships with Excelsior College, Norwich University, and the University of Charleston-West Virginia, all with various degree plans for SOF operators and enablers, allow many in the special operations community to receive anywhere from 45-60 credits with military experience alone.
“Our operators, E-6 to E-9, come here for professional military education, and the second and third order effects are that they’re able to get college credits for the PME and this is in line with our commander’s training and education guidance to encourage SOF NCOs to get their bachelor’s degrees by the time their E-9s,” said Katie Carson, the academic counseling center director.
Brian Bailey, an instructor at JSOU, who’s been teaching the Joint Fundamentals Course, or CEP-1 for more than two years, said the course develops leadership for E-6s, and provides more relevancy to those SOF than the traditional college environment would.
“These guys … they’re already operating in their career field and applying it to their current experiences,” said Bailey.
The Enterprise Management Course, CEP-2, is offered to E-7s, and provides students with a broader understanding of both traditional and SOF-specific organizational leadership and management concepts.
“The return on investment is much quicker here than at a traditional school with a standard degree program,” said Army Sgt. Maj. Steven Horsley, commandant of JSOU’s enlisted academy.
All three educational institutions currently offer undergraduate degrees, with the University of Charleston offering graduate level degrees for SOF personnel. All partner schools affiliated with JSOU have met the following benchmarks: regionally accredited, military-friendly, offer tuition rates within the tuition assistance cap, offer completely online degrees, and have flexible admission requirements.
“It really takes a village,” said Carson, who added that type of specific approach to education serves those in the SOF community extremely well.
Lankford’s experience is a perfect illustration of the USSOCOM’s “village” importance. This has never been more necessary than it is today’s fast-paced and pressure-packed world.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2015 08:34 |
| Story ID: | 176194 |
| Location: | MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 295 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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