Do you think the service academies should offer distance education for enlisted troops?

Capt Jimmy Santos — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 20:33:41 -0500

With each service providing educational opportunities through tuition assistance, associates degrees, and commissioning programs, should each branch provide more direct opportunities for enlisted troops to earn a bachelors degree?

Response by TSgt Joe C. made Jan 2 at 2017 8:35 PM

TSgt Joe C. — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 20:35:44 -0500

Sure, I don't see a downside to it at all.

Response by CSM William DeWolf made Jan 2 at 2017 8:49 PM

CSM William DeWolf — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 20:49:49 -0500

Sure, why not offer online distance education! However, state authorization may be an issue for the academy?

Response by SFC George Smith made Jan 2 at 2017 8:51 PM

SFC George Smith — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 20:51:44 -0500

they Might want to introduce On-line or Correspondences with an Associates degree thru an associated Collages or Universities... They could also be a feeder for the proven and chosen NCOs to Move into the Officer Ranks thru the Academies ot others such as , VMI or he Citadel ...
But the Coveted Degrees from The Service Academies are for a select Few... they are the marks for the leaders of the future...

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 2 at 2017 9:01 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 21:01:01 -0500

Good question. I don't see the benefit. Is the thought for this to be a DL commissioning source?

Response by MGySgt Rick Tyrrell made Jan 2 at 2017 9:01 PM

MGySgt Rick Tyrrell — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 21:01:54 -0500

I definitely think they should but more importantly the service members should take advantage of it which normally they do not.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jan 2 at 2017 10:10 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 22:10:16 -0500

Lot of pros out there. I'm not for it primarily because of mission creep big time. It's more than tough enough to stay on track producing new officers. Just what they need is another distraction. If you want ENL access to higher education, it's out there already. I'd take a look at having some resource to ensure it's accessible though. Lot's of white space between AKO/NKO and accredited resources.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 2 at 2017 11:32 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 23:32:24 -0500

Interesting question. Now that I have reached Staff Sargent and I can see a clear path and potential to retire as a CSM, I'm not sure I would trade enlisted status for the officer ranks. That said, I clearly have a passion for education. I have a BS from Liberty, completed the accountancy hours for the CPA at Auburn and have four classes left for a Masters degree from Penn State. I would much rather have had WestPoint in there somewhere, much more prestige and networking potential than the others. That said, being married with two girls, a civilian career, and National Guard, none of that education would have been possible if not for online classes.

Response by SFC Joseph Weber made Jan 3 at 2017 12:42 AM

SFC Joseph Weber — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 00:42:21 -0500

Seems like that would put a huge burden on the staff of the academies. Maybe better to have a separate program like the AF one.

Response by Capt Chris McVeigh made Jan 3 at 2017 12:58 AM

Capt Chris McVeigh — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 00:58:32 -0500

Honestly I think the service academies should be completely disbanded. They are an extremely expensive way for the military to obtain officers and, in my experience, the officers are no better than those who come from regular colleges.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 3 at 2017 1:59 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 01:59:53 -0500

No. I think that there are already numerous opportunities for anyone (enlisted, warrant, or officer) to get any level degree. The academies have their mission to train a certain group. They are considered elite by only allow certain number of students and having a lifestyle. If you were to do all online coursework and miss out on the training portion how does your degree compare to those who went through summer camps and training in person? Also, that is additional cost for the infrastructure, professors, etc.

Personally I looked at going to the an academy but they did not have my major so I went to a college and majored in what I wanted to do and did ROTC. Academies are not designed to offer as many options in types of degrees. You have more options that will be accepted and useful outside the military by attending a public or private college or university.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 3 at 2017 3:08 AM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 03:08:45 -0500

There's already a plethora of opportunities for service members to attain a degree. They just have to work for it like everyone else.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 3 at 2017 5:02 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 05:02:58 -0500

I can only speak for USMA at West Point, but assume this holds true for the other academies as well. The "Academy Experience" is all consuming, and much more than the Academics. I definitely don't think you could capture that through distance learning.

I think another way to get at this problem is to increase visibility of accessions and prep-schools for enlisted personnell. I'd been an officer for 7 years before I worked at USMA (and enlisted before that) and never saw/heard of a briefing for enlisted interested in attending an Academy. The prep-schools were all designed to give enlisted members a "leg-up" on college, but thats not what we are using them for now.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Jan 3 at 2017 1:15 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 13:15:15 -0500

LOL. Yeah, no.

Response by 1LT Vance Titus made Jan 3 at 2017 2:57 PM

1LT Vance Titus — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 14:57:33 -0500

I don't think the service academies should be the source of distance education. However, I agree totally with the idea of giving all members of the military the opportunity to advance their education. Equally important, the military could do more to ensure that the technical and vocational skills certifications earned while serving in the military are fully recognized by prospective employers in the private sector and non-military government organizations.

Response by SFC J Fullerton made Jan 3 at 2017 3:19 PM

SFC J Fullerton — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 15:19:29 -0500

No, in my opinion it would take away from the prestige of the Academies. However, the Military Education Centers need to stop pushing the garbage, for-profit "nationally accredited" online schools for tuition assistance and only offer online programs from legit, regionally accredited institutions. They are not helping the SM in the long run with worthless degrees that the civilian world doesn't recognize.

Response by Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth made Jan 3 at 2017 5:20 PM

Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 17:20:16 -0500

I don't think it is a good idea at all. The academies have a mission and they execute it well. There are so many opportunities for our enlisted folks to get a degree with tuition assistance and GI Bill. I would be afraid that the this would turn the Academies into just another college. They are unique for a reason and I don't think this would be a good move. For the record, I was enlisted and finished out in ROTC and lived a good life without the academies help. Therefore I am against it.

Response by PO3 John Wagner made Jan 3 at 2017 6:00 PM

PO3 John Wagner — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 18:00:28 -0500

I think that is an OK plan. Leadership training in the field augmented with mentoring from those who have time to do and are in leadership positions in the field can't be a bad thing

Response by MAJ Glynn Garcia made Jan 3 at 2017 6:55 PM

MAJ Glynn Garcia — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 18:55:57 -0500

Absolutely. This is a great idea, especially for deployed troops.

Response by MSgt John Taylor made Jan 3 at 2017 7:23 PM

MSgt John Taylor — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 19:23:21 -0500

Academy grads do not want to share that with the enlisted force. Also, there's more to the academies than just academics.

Response by LTJG Richard Bruce made Jan 3 at 2017 9:06 PM

LTJG Richard Bruce — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 21:06:52 -0500

No. The very definition of an Academy requires residence. Recruit training also requires residence. The US Coast Guard Institute in Oklahoma City publishes and distributes training courses for all ranks and rates.

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2017 3:39 PM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 15:39:21 -0500

Interesting question, but I would say "No". If you want to earn your degree while on active duty you will figure it out. The academies, in my opinion, are there to produce the highest quality officer candidates for commissioning into our active forces. Nothing more, nothing less.

Response by SSG Jeremy Sharp made Jan 4 at 2017 8:33 PM

SSG Jeremy Sharp — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 20:33:33 -0500

Yes I think that it would be exemplary for the service academies to offer enlisted the ability to earn college credit for knowledge and skills obtained during service by offering an online component. Not sure it should necessarily matriculate at the bachelors degree level but a fair evaluation of the content would establish the applicability of the learning experience.

Response by LTC John Paul Cook made Jan 10 at 2017 7:18 AM

LTC John Paul Cook — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 07:18:08 -0500

The primary purpose of Military Academies are to produce the next generation of Commissioned Officers. Academy life is a total immersion experience. Some civilian Military Colleges have experimented with enrolling day students. Although they attend class side by side with the traditional cadets, the experience is vastly different.

One of my recommendations to Senior Army Leaders in 2012, given the increasing emphasis on collegiate education for NCOs, was to partner with higher education institutes to develop curriculum that will convey an Associates Degree for E5 Level NCOES, Bachelors for E7, and Master for E9. Needless to say there was very little institutional will to facilitate this initiative. The canned answer was always something like "Servicemembers need to demonstrate self motivation and initiative for self improvement and career development".

I share SGT Laskaris' perspective that Servicemembers should be focused on their military training, job performance and families. We ask so much of them, do we really need to ask them to proove themselves at night school? To me that fact that they successfully enlisted and considered for inclusion in the NCO Corps demonstrates their motivation and initiative. Since transition truly begins at accession, we should make the additional investment in our first line leaders to provide them an education that benefits them both in their military career and post transition career.

Response by MAJ Mark N. made Jan 10 at 2017 10:38 AM

MAJ Mark N. — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:38:12 -0500

As many have stated, the Academy experience is total immersion. It graduates a difference type of officer vs ROTC or OCS. Not better, not worse - just different. I am a product of deferred ROTC (joined as a college sophomore, went thru Basic Training and retired 21 years later), son is a West Point grad - I can see the difference first hand. In short, when comparing Academy training, it is so much more than a BS from the #1 ranked engineer schools in the world - it is something that cannot be replicated outside of the Academy walls - "More is caught, than taught".