Cadets To March In Inaugual Parade Cadet 1st Class Ian Black will salute the newly sworn-in President Barack Obama in the nation's Capitol on Jan. 20. Cadet Black is this semester's cadet commander for Cadet Squadron 4, and will lead 92 of his squadron's fellow cadets in the 56th Inaugural Parade. During the ten-day inaugural period leading up to Jan. 20, more than 5,000 service personnel will provide ceremonial support to the 56th Presidential Inaugural. - continued - 8 January 2009 Academy Among Nation's Top 100 'Best Value Colleges' The U.S. Air Force Academy was named as one of the nation's top 100 best value colleges for 2009 today by The Princeton Review. The Best Values College List features 50 public and 50 private colleges. The Princeton Review selected these institutions as its 'best value' choices for 2009 based on its surveys of administrators and students at more than 650 public and private colleges and universities. The selection criteria covered more than 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs of attendance, and financial aid, using the most recently reported data from each institution for its 2007-08 academic year. - continued - 8 January 2009
NASA Assigns Grads To Pilot Space Shuttle Air Force Academy graduates will pilot two upcoming space shuttle missions. NASA announced the crews for space shuttle missions STS-130 and STS-131 Dec. 5, which include the Academy's latest astronauts and one Colorado Springs native. The STS-130 mission will deliver a third connecting module to the International Space Station and a seven-windowed cupola to be used as a control room for robotics. - continued - 17 December 2008 Renewable Energy Future Planned For Academy, Academic Research Though it is located in the semi-arid desert of Colorado, Academy officials are eyeing "Green Energy Opportunities". "The ambitious effort involves reducing energy demand trends and evaluating and implementing alternate power technologies," said 10th Air Base Squadron's Russell Hume, who is spearheading the efforts. The Air Force spends $5 billion yearly on energy, 80 percent of which supports aviation operations, and is the largest energy consumer in the U.S. Government. - continued - 8 December 2008
Academy Salutes 1976 ATOs Most Air Force Academy aficionados know the date President Dwight Eisenhower authorized the establishment of the Air Force Academy: April 1, 1954, also known as Founders Day. Far fewer people, however, can identify perhaps the second most significant date in Academy history, when President Gerald Ford opened the service academies to female cadets. For the record, President Ford signed Public Law 94-106 on Oct. 7, 1975. - continued - 8 December 2008 Securing, Managing Resources - Strategic Goal #7: In April 2004 the Air Force Academy was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The beauty of the Academy is certainly the reason it received such an honor, however, the age of the Academy also had a part. After all, it is a list of historic places. - continued - 28 October 2008
Academy Honors Former SECAF: Astronautics Instructor Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen John Regni hosted the dedication of the Wynne Space Professional Center of Excellence (SPCE) in honor of the twenty-first Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Wynne, in the Department of Astronautics Thursday - continued - 28 October 2008 Academy leader retires after 38 years Brig. Gen. (ret.) Gunther Mueller rendered his last salute in uniform Sept. 12 after 38 years of distinguished service to the U.S. Air Force, the Air Force Academy, and the men and women of the Academy's Foreign Language Department. - continued - 21 October 2008
DFEC bids farewell to longtime head Colonel Alan Klayton (now brigadier general, retired) recently retired from the Air Force with a standing room only ceremony at Doolittle Hall Aug. 8. General Klayton served the Academy for 31 of his 42-year career, including 20 as a permanent professor. - continued - 21 October 2008 Prepare, motivate the workforce - Strategic Goal #6 "All thrust and no vector" is often used to describe some members of the military. The phrase implies that a person has a lot of motivation, but no direction on where to apply it. This idea is central to the U.S. Air Force Academy's sixth strategic goal-- prepare and motivate the workforce. - continued - 21 October 2008