FACT SHEET
United States
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, USAF
ACADEMY, CO 80840
(719) 333-2990
A QUICK LOOK AT THE U.S. AIR
FORCE ACADEMY
MISSION:
To educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers
of character motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our
nation. The United States Air Force
Academy is the nation’s premier institution for developing leaders of
character.
CORE VALUES:
Integrity First,
Service Before Self, Excellence in all we do
HISTORY:
Youngest
of the four service academies
President
Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill authorizing establishment of the Academy
on April 1, 1954.
The first class entered in July 1955 at
temporary facilities at Lowry Air Force Base,
The
Cadet Wing moved into its permanent home in August 1958.
First
class of 207 graduated in June 1959.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a
bill in 1964 authorizing each of the three Academies to expand their enrollment
from 2,529 to 4,417.
First
class with women entered in June 1976 and graduated in May 1980.
More
than 41,800 cadets have graduated in 51 classes.
Approximately
27 percent of those commissioned in the Air Force are still on active duty.
387 graduates have been commissioned by
other services; 127 by the Marine Corps, 125 by the Navy, and 135 by the Army.
299 international cadets entered and 266
have graduated from the Academy.
17 cadets have graduated posthumously.
One
graduate, Capt. Lance P. Sijan, received the Medal of Honor.
495 graduates have become general
officers, to include the current Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Scwartz and former
Chiefs of Staff Fogelman and Ryan.
172 graduates have been killed in
combat.
36 graduates are repatriated prisoners
of war.
Two
graduates are combat aces.
35 cadets have been selected as Rhodes
Scholars.
7 cadets have
been selected as Alberta Bart Holaday Scholarship at Exeter College, Oxford
England
10
cadets have accepted Marshall Scholarships.
13 cadets have received the Harry S.
Truman Scholarship.
92 cadets have been accepted as
Guggenheim Fellows
75 cadets have been selected as
National Science Foundation Fellows.
36 cadets have accepted Fulbright-Hays
Scholarships.
116 cadets have accepted scholarships
to attend Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
37 cadets have been selected as Hertz
Fellows.
708 cadets have entered medical school.
164 cadets have
accepted MIT and Rice University Scholarships.
60 cadets have
accepted University of Washington Aeronautics and Astronautics Scholarships.
32 cadets have
been selected for Gerahart Scholarships for study in France.
31 cadets have
accepted Earl & Marion Nutter Scholarships.
75 cadets have
received University of Maryland Scholarships.
42 cadets have
received Franklin C. Wolfe Scholarships.
52 cadets have
been selected for NCAA Scholarships.
34 cadets have
attended the East West Center at the
ADMISSIONS CRITERIA:
Cadets must be between 17 and 22 on
July 1 of the year of admission.
Each must be a
Applicants must have good grades
(generally ranked in at least the top 20 percent of their high school class),
be active in athletic and non-athletic extracurricular activities, and be in
good physical condition.
ACADEMY EXPERIENCE:
The Academy experience is designed to
allow cadets to grow militarily, intellectually, physically, morally and ethically. This begins the first day of basic cadet
training and ends as second lieutenants toss their hats into the air at
graduation.
1. Military
Development - The goal is to develop the knowledge, skills, values and behavior
patterns needed to be an effective Air Force officer.
a. Military Art and Science - Designed
to develop in each cadet an understanding of the military profession and the
composition, heritage and employment of
b.
Leadership - First learned as a concept and then put into practice,
initially at the "follower" level.
Upper-class cadets develop their leadership abilities by running the Cadet
Wing, leading classroom discussions, and helping to teach Combat Survival
Training and various airmanship courses.
Officers are assigned to each program to advise and help.
c.
Aviation Sciences and Airmanship - All cadets participate in some form
of airmanship activity (soaring, jumping, powered flight) during their four
years at the academy. During the first
summer, basic cadets are introduced to flying through orientation flights
(sailplanes, UV-18, T-41) and tandem jumps.
Four degrees take a required aviation fundamentals course during the
academic year that includes classroom instruction, T-37 simulator rides, basic
navigation and a one-day field trip to an operational flying base. Three degrees participate in the Soaring
program, which is designed to solo each cadet (depending on aptitude and
time/sortie constraints). Three degrees
can also choose to participate in the Jump program, which is designed to award
jump wings at the completion of 5 jumps.
Two degrees can participate in a wide range of advanced courses in
soaring, parachuting and navigation.
Advanced courses in these areas prepare cadets to be instructors,
permitting them to gain valuable operational and leadership experience. During
their last two years, all cadets are able to participate in the powered flight
program. All cadets may belong to the
Cadet Aviation Club and fly light aircraft as a member of the Aero Club during
all four years. Flying activities are
complemented by academic studies in astronomy, aeronautics, astronautics and
physics.
d.
Professional Development Program - Professional Development begins upon
arrival to the Academy during the six weeks of basic cadet training and
progresses steadily over four years.
Each year builds on previous training and experience. Cadets have a self-study professional
development curriculum and may participate in one or two professional seminars
each week. They must pass a professional
knowledge review near the end of each year.
Emphasis is on the duties, commitment and responsibilities of a
professional officer.
2.
Academic Development - Designed to
provide cadets with a broad, high-quality education appropriate to a military
career.
1. The Academy is recognized as one of the finest
colleges in the nation. Over 2,500
graduates have received post-graduation scholarships, including Rhodes
Scholarships.
2. The faculty is unique, consisting of approximately 565
military officers and civilian faculty who not only teach, but also serve as
role models for cadets. About 53 percent
possess a doctoral degree.
3. Cadet course load is a good deal heavier than most
other colleges. The core curriculum
consists of 90 semester hours, with an even balance between basic sciences and
engineering sciences on one hand and social sciences and humanities on the
other.
4. Cadets may choose one of 32 academic majors. About half major in science or engineering.
3. Physical
Development - Objective is to develop good physical condition and the traits of
teamwork, courage, aggressiveness, self-confidence, and an intense desire to
win, all of which are essential to a military officer.
–
Each cadet takes 6 semester hours of
physical education during four years at the Academy.
–
In addition, cadets must participate in
intercollegiate or intramural sports throughout the academic year.
–
Cadets have two intramural
seasons. Each squadron fields a team in
16 sports. Men and women compete as
teammates in all but a few contact sports, such as boxing and football.
–
Academy fields intercollegiate teams in
17 men's and 10 women's sports.
4. Character
Development - Designed to develop cadets’ professional military character
through an emphasis on Air Force core values, the Cadet Honor Code, ethics
instruction, human relations education and moral/spiritual development.
a.
The Academy has an integrated, institution-wide character development
program focusing on our core values of “Integrity First, Service Before Self,
Excellence in All We Do.”
b.
The foundation is the Cadet Honor Code, which states, “We will not lie,
steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does...”
c.
All cadets take a formal course in ethics and receive honor, ethics,
human relations, and other character development instruction and experiences as
part of their education and training program throughout their four years at the
Academy.
d.
The human relations education program promotes an understanding of how
gender, racial, ethnic, and cultural differences affect the transition,
attrition, performance, and quality of life for cadets in the Cadet Wing.
e.
Cadets are afforded ample schedule opportunities to participate in faith
development programs of their own choosing and are encouraged to take part in
religious, spiritual, and faith activities and programs provided at the
Academy.
Located at the base of the
Average cost to put one cadet through
the four-year program is $282,562; the education portion is valued at about
$123,000.
Approximately one million visitors come
to the Academy annually.
Cadets
are housed in two dormitories, Vandenberg Hall (1,325 rooms) and Sijan Hall
(936 rooms).
Fairchild Hall contains classrooms,
labs and faculty/staff offices (250 classrooms, 45 science labs, 13 lecture
halls).
Mitchell Hall dining area covers 1.7
acres; staff serves the entire cadet wing at the same time, in and out in only
25 minutes.
The Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel is
the 1996 recipient of the prestigious American Institute of Architects’ (AIA)
Twenty-five Year Award.
Arnold Hall houses a 2,900-seat
Broadway auditorium, ballroom, conference rooms, restaurant and historical
displays.
Athletic fields cover 143 acres and
include 18 football fields, 13 soccer fields, 10 flickerball fields; all
encompassing, 2,000 people can participate in sporting events at the same time.
Cadet Field House includes the Clune
Arena, used for basketball, boxing and public speaking events, seats 6,000. The Field House also has an indoor track,
field area, and a hockey rink which seats 2,602.
Cadet gym is five stories tall and
contains three basketball arenas, two pools (one Olympic size), 19 racquetball
courts, weight rooms, four tennis courts, and offices.
SUMMARY:
The
Academy experience is designed to:
-Produce professional officers who have
the knowledge, character, and motivation essential to leadership.
-Offer an environment of trust and
respect, where all people can achieve high productivity, are committed to
organizational goals, and can reach their full potential.
-Instill self-discipline and ethical
accountability for one’s actions.
-In short, make character central to
the development of tomorrow’s Air Force leaders.
(Current as of 28 May 2009)