Leaders from the University of New Mexico and the U.S. Air Force today signed an agreement that will allow Air Force officers and civilians to earn advanced degrees in science, technology and management by combining credits from UNM and Air Force Institute of Technology.
"This collaborative program will allow students in the School of Engineering to access high-quality systems engineering courses from AFIT, said Charles Fleddermann, School of Engineering professor and associate dean for Academic Affairs. “It will allow military and civilian employees at Kirtland Air Force base to easily transfer UNM courses to AFIT, or AFIT courses to UNM,"
UNM has provided graduate level education to Air Force officers and personnel for many years. For more than 50 years, AFIT, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, has been the Air Force's primary source of graduate education in engineering, science and management. Air Force military personnel typically have three-year assignments, making it difficult to complete a part-time graduate program, which usually requires four or more years.
The agreement will provide a framework for UNM and AFIT to jointly offer part-time graduate programs, primarily to the Air Force; share distance education offerings and encourage research applications between the two institutions. UNM will further benefit by allowing its students access to advanced courses and research opportunities, previously available only to Air Force personnel.
Beginning fall semester of 2004, four college courses will be taught at Kirtland Air Force Base through a distance education program, teleconferenced from AFIT headquarters. Additional classes toward an advanced degree will be available at UNM, no longer requiring Air Force personnel to travel to Ohio.
The signing of a formal agreement took place today in Scholes Hall on the UNM campus. Representing UNM were Fleddermann and Provost Brian Foster. Signing for the Air Force were Robert Calico, Jr., dean of engineering and management, AFIT and Col. David Eidsaune, commandant, AFIT.
Others in attendance included UNM representatives Terry Yates, vice provost for research; Kevin Malloy, professor and associate dean for research at the School of Engineering and Kirtland Air Force Base Commander Col. Hank Andrews.
Contact: Greg Johnson (505) 277-1816
Posted by kwentworth at March 17, 2004 10:43 AM