Category Archives: Military Academy

USAFA Cadets Discuss Faith, Freedom, Proselytizing

One of the results of the religious “scandals” that have plagued the US Air Force Academy over the past few years was the creation of the Cadet Interfaith Council.  The CIC was the subject of the latest USAFA news article on religious expression and diversity at the Academy.

The 20-member cadet group serves as a focal point for religious issues in the cadet wing.  Current president Cadet 2nd Class Philicia Fahrenbruch notes the Council helped ‘protect’ the time set aside for SPIRE on Monday evenings last year, and has helped deal with other issues since then.

Some of the topics noted in the article highlight the continued sensitivity of religion at the Air Force Academy:  Read more

USAFA to Release Portion of Cadet Survey

According to the local Colorado Springs Gazette, the US Air Force Academy plans to release a portion of the results of its annual climate assessment survey.  The press conference date is 29 October, and the release appears to be at least partially linked to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

The Academy’s refusal to release the results has been a point of contention with Michael Weinstein, who seems to believe they will add credibility to his cause.  USAFA Superintendent General Michael Gould has maintained the Academy is under no obligation to release the results of an internal climate study.

Forbes Ranks USAFA at #11

Forbes Magazine’s 2010 list of America’s Best Colleges, which assessed 600 undergraduate programs nationwide, ranked the US Air Force Academy at #11 in the nation.  Other military academies also fared well in a list that equated the service academies with other highly recognized institutions:

These rankings put service academies in the same tier as Ivy League colleges. The Air Force Academy placed at No. 16 in 2008 and No. 7 in 2009.

For the 2010 rankings, the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., ranked fourth on the list, while the U.S. Naval Academy came in at 29th, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy ranked No. 105, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy earned the No. 165 ranking.

US Air Force Academy Reports Improved Climate

The US Air Force Academy recently reported some of the results from its 2009 climate survey.  The survey is similar to those given to other military units in order to assess everything from racial relations to quality of life.

The superintendent, LtGen Mike Gould, is reportedly focused on instilling an atmosphere of respect for human dignity, and he has seen some success:

In many ways, the climate has shifted toward greater respect for all Airmen here regardless of their race, gender, religious beliefs or socioeconomic backgrounds.  Read more

Military Academies Top University Rankings

It should be common knowledge by now that the US military academies routinely rank among the best colleges in the country by a variety of standards.  The academies routinely top the Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges, and all the military academies were on it.  Of course, having a quality education with zero tuition does much for the value calculation.

The academies also top the 2011 Best Colleges pubished by the Princeton Review (see the 2010 list), which includes relative ranking criteria on a variety of “interesting” subjects.  The Air Force Academy again rises to the top on most conservative and most religious students.  The other academies were also consistently near the top on conservative, politically active, and “least happy” students, with slight variations.  (One unusual hit was at the Merchant Marine Academy, which took low marks on its professors.)  Other rankings:  Read more

Articles Highlight Incoming Military Academy Classes

A slew of recent articles were recently published on the entrance of the new military academy classes into their summer training sessions.  It was interesting to see a pattern emerge with reference to each of the institutions:

Class of 2014 most diverse in USNA history
This year’s plebe class is the most diverse in Naval Academy history, officials said…

CG Academy: Outreach pays off in diverse class
The Coast Guard Academy’s incoming class of freshmen is one of the most diverse in school history, according to academy officials…

Class of 2014 joins Long Blue Line
The diversity of the incoming [USAFA] class is unprecedented, said…the director of Admissions.

Of course, the military benefits from the integration — not the suppression Read more

1 … 8 9 10 11 12 … 17