Senior Service College (SSC)

Senior Service College /Professional Military Education (PME) is the apex of the Army Civilian Education System (CES) and prepares Civilians for positions of greatest responsibility in the Department of Army, including but not limited to Army Enterprise Positions. Leaders who attend must have an understanding of complex policy and operational challenges and increased knowledge of the national security mission.

Schools available to Army Civilians in Academic Year 2015-2016:

• Army War College (AWC), Carlisle, Pa.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (formerly ICAF), Washington, D.C
• Army War College Distance Education (AWC-DE)
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Applicant Eligibility

• Army Civilians, grades GS-14 to GS-15 or equivalent, in permanent appointments with a minimum of three (3) years of full-time Army Civilian service. Eligible applicants must have career status in an Army permanent competitive appointment, Schedule A, Excepted appointment without time limitation, or be serving under Non-Appropriated Fund (NAF) instrumentality or hold an Excepted Service appointment in the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel Management System.
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Prerequisites

An individual must meet all of the following requirements before the application is submitted. Candidates must:

• Possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, and meet minimum standards for proficiency of executive core qualifications competencies
• Have extensive demonstrated leadership experience
• Have Completed the CES Advanced Course or Advanced Course equivalent
• Have a Secret clearance (with pending application for a Top Secret clearance) that will not expire during the program. A copy of the clearance must be submitted with the application.

NOTE: Applicants who have previously completed a Professional Military Education degree (resident or non-resident) from any Senior Service College are NOT eligible for consideration

Ideal Candidate

Selection of Army Civilians to attend leader development and education courses is linked to performance in current assignments, to professional and career development and progression, to career development plans and career management models, and to future assignments. Students are expected to significantly contribute to the learning environment through in depth analytical discussions drawing on their subject matter knowledge and experiences in strategic and policy aspects of national security. Generally, the superior SSC/PME candidate:

• Is a high performing leader with outstanding potential for more responsible leadership positions across the enterprise
• Is ready and able to contribute as a student at a senior leader SSC/PME school.
• Has a broad and varied history of experience leading to increased responsibility and broad perspectives:
• • In multiple organizations, commands, or Defense agencies;
  • At various organizational levels (operating, staff, headquarters);
  • In a range of related occupational areas; and
  • At multiple geographical locations.
• Has leadership and managerial experience that has demonstrated the competence, confidence, and motivation to be a bold and innovative leader in the public sector, to include significant experience in supervising or managing people in an official capacity.
• Has an outstanding performance record and has progressed through positions of increasing responsibility at a faster pace than his/her peers.
• Values life-long learning and:
• • Has succeeded in rigorous programs of formal education, training, and self-development
  • Has one or more degrees in fields related to his/her occupational specialty, and
  • Has successfully completed Army-sponsored leadership programs and other developmental activities toward attaining career goals.
• Is motivated to succeed, and is willing to challenge himself/herself to do so; and
• Has the passion to lead, inspire, and produce results for Army.

Nomination/Application Process

There is one automated application process within the Senior Enterprise Talent Management (SETM) System for individuals applying for SSC, Defense Senior Leader Development Program (DSLDP) and the SETM Enterprise Talent Management/TDY/Placement program.

Visit the SETM website for the application checklist and complete application instructions.

Selection/Notification

Selection for attendance at a SSC is a competitive process and a HQDA Civilian Executive Board screens applicants and makes Army nominations. Like the Officer Corps, Army Civilians graduating from SSC are centrally placed under the SSC Graduate Placement Program (GPP) in a position of greater responsibility in another assignment or organization where they can apply the advanced education they have received in accordance with AR 350-1 (Para 3-61), Army Training and Leader Development.

• Army Civilian Executive Board (CEB): Will create an Order-of-Merit List (OML), ranking applicants in priority for submission to all Senior Service Colleges. The OML lists will order/arrange applicants in best-qualified priority order using board-established ranking criteria. SAMR-SES will release the results of the Army Civilian Executive Board through Command/ Human Resource Director (HRD) channels. Based on the number of available quotas, application packages will be forwarded to the appropriate SSC for final selection.
• The SSCs: Reserve final acceptance authority. Selections are not final until acceptance is confirmed by the respective institutions. SAMR-SES, CSLDD will notify commands and applicants of final acceptance upon confirmation from the SSCs.
• Results notification: The Secretary of the Army will authorize the release of the Civilian Executive Board results by SAMR-SES, CSLDD within two months of board dates, and, later, final acceptance decisions by the schools. Be patient! Final acceptance notifications are received by SAMR-SES, CSLDD between March and May during the same year as the SSC starts, and are dependent upon each SSC's internal review process.
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Funding

In support of the Secretary of the Army’s (SA) initiative to transform the Army Civilian workforce, the G-37/Training Directorate (TR) established a Civilian Training Student Account (CTSA) for Army-funded Civilians attending Senior Service College (SSC). The HQDA Deputies unanimously approved the initiative in January 2010 as a “quick win” for Civilian development.

Candidates selected to attend a Senior Service College residency program, will be reassigned to a long-term training authorization on the HQDA, G-3/5/7 Operational Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) and attend SSC in a TDY status from their current duty location.

Students remain on their current position description at their current pay grade while attending SSC. Losing commands are able to immediate backfill against the position and mitigate disruption to the mission.

G-37/TRV will fund salary and benefits for CTSA members while in a training status. Exception: OCONUS candidates will PCS to the training site (Note: Selectees whose families will be negatively impacted by the current Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) will NOT be reassigned to the G-3/5/7 TDA, but remain assigned to their current organization.

The CTSA does not currently apply to AWC distance education students or students who attend SSC as part of the Defense Senior Leader Development Program (DSLDP) or the Army Senior Fellows (ASF) program.

Important Dates

Note: Command representatives may have established local points of contact as well as internal suspense dates earlier than the HQDA date. Applications sent directly to HQDA will be returned to the sender.

For complete details and to apply, visit the SETM website.

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