Education Center guides Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tong Duong
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  There are many choices to be made and the pursuit of higher education is one of them.

The staff at the Goodfellow Education Center offers many choices for those looking to further their education.

"The base education office offers assistance to those who need help, whether contracted civilian, military or family member," said Steve Williams, 17th Force Support Squadron. "We try to point them in the right direction."

One of the topics often discussed with potential students include the pros and cons of the Montgomery GI Bill versus post 9/11 GI Bill.

"Deciding which one is better depends on the situation," Mr. Williams said. "Some of the factors to consider are if a student wants to sit in class or go online, and we try to help them figure out which fits them better."

The education center staff is also responsible for the testing of defense language, promotion, career development course and college or proctor exams.

The Community College of the Air Force degree, which is regionally accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, is another popular topic the education staff is knowledgeable about.

Mr. Williams advocate students take as many electronic College Level Examination Program or DANTES tests as they can to fulfill requirements for a degree.

"Why waste time and money to take a traditional eight or 16-week course, if an institution will accept CLEP or DANTES credits," he said. "A few weeks of self study and an electronic test block can get you class credit in less time."

Another advantage of taking these tests at the education center is that results are posted almost instantly allowing students to plan accordingly, rather than waiting four to five weeks for results, Mr. Williams added.

To the education staff, not only does finishing a CCAF degree open the door for military members to pursue associate, bachelor's and even master's, it also helps job progression.

"What it really does is enhance the work force. They are getting a degree in their Air Force specialty code, whether its communications applications technology or public affairs," Mr. Williams said. "It's an award that shows they have qualified in their career field."

For the past few years, the education office here has averaged in the top percentage Air Force wide for CCAF graduates, which is something they are very proud of.

"Our emphasis is to get as many people who are eligible for a degree to graduate. Our current graduation rate is 20 to 25 percent of eligible members, which translates to roughly 200 of the 1,100 active duty members on base."

Mr. Williams credits, Jim Cox, 17 FSS CCAF advisor, for being aggressive at finding those who are eligible and pushing them to finish their degree.

"Although I completed two CCAF degrees right before I retired, I had the opportunity to complete one of them earlier, but, I just kept putting it off," said Mr. Cox. "Learning from my experience, I try to help the younger ones get their degrees while they have the opportunity here.

Too many people these days just do enough to get by and are satisfied with those results. I take pride in what I do and look forward to helping them each day."

Mr. Cox also went on to achieve a Bachelors and a Masters of Art in Teaching, from Angelo State University.

The base education center will host an Education Camp October 26 and 27 with more than 32 schools coming. For more information, visit the education center in building 320, or call (325) 654-3314.

SIDE BAR:

Goodfellow has four local institutions of higher learning that have classes on base or in San Angelo. These schools also have representatives at the education center or on their local campus to answer questions and assist students in completing education goals.

Angelo State University - Four-year university with master's programs. Classes and representative are on campus. (www.angelo.edu) (325) 942-2041

Howard College - Local Junior College with classes on base and on campus. Their representative is located at their campus. (www.howardcollege.edu) (325) 654-1896 Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Park University- Offers three programs: Social Psychology, Management and Computer Information's Systems Management. They also provide general education courses for CCAF and offer on base and on-line courses. (www.park.edu) (325) 654-4082 Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Post 9/11 GI Bill transfer program information

Air University Associate to Baccalaureate directs Airmen with an associate in applied science degree's from the CCAF to a collection of accredited "military friendly" colleges and universities to consider when completing a four-year degree. The program maximizes the application of military career education and training, and provides a multitude of online academic and support services for enlisted members.