The 1956 structure that established the four Academic Divisions is shown below, along with the names of the Division Chairs and Department Heads appointed at that time. (The current divisional alignment is shown in a chart in Chapter 4.)
| Humanities Division | Chair: Colonel Peter R. Moody |
| English | Colonel Moody |
| Foreign Languages | Colonel Moody (additional duty) |
| Law | Colonel Allen W. Rigsby |
| Social Sciences Division | Chair: Colonel John L. Frisbee |
| History | Colonel Frisbee |
| Economics | Colonel Robert F. McDermott (additional duty) |
| Political Science | Colonel Frisbee (additional duty) |
| Military History | Colonel Josephus A. Bowman |
| Psychology | Lt Col Fred E. Holdrege Jr. |
| Basic Sciences Division | Chair: Colonel Edwin W. Brown |
| Mathematics | Colonel Archie Higdon (additional duty) |
| Graphics | Colonel James S. Barko |
| Chemistry | Lt Col William T. Woodyard |
| Physics | Colonel Brown |
| Applied Sciences Division | Chair: Colonel Archie Higdon |
| Mechanics | Colonel Higdon |
| Electrical Engineering | Colonel James V.G. Wilson |
| Thermodynamics | Colonel Paul H. Dane |
| Aerodynamics | Lt Col Gerhardt C. Clementson |
The roles and responsibilities of the Department Head and Division Chair were much different. A detailed list of duties of each position was first published in a 1956 Academy Regulation. These duties were refined somewhat over time, but really changed very little. For instance, the oversight of majors and minors was not added until majors and minors became part of the curriculum. The following lists are from 1967 (USAFAR 20-1, October 4, 1967).
The Department Head:
1. Exercises supervisory authority over the department and is responsible to the Dean for the performance of the department
2. By precept and example promotes scholarship, research, and good teaching in the department
3. Implements policies legislated by the Academy Board and the Faculty Council or prescribed by the Superintendent or the Dean
4. Within policies prescribed by higher authority, establishes policies for the department
5. Supervises the courses of instruction offered by the department
6. Provides guidance in the development or modification of the department’s academic majors or minors programs
7. Represents the department at meetings of the Faculty Council, Curriculum Committee, and the academic division to which the department is assigned
8. As a member of the Faculty Council and of committees to which assigned, assists in the formulation of academic and faculty policies
9. Coordinates with other departments to assure both vertical and horizontal integration of courses
10. Presides at department meetings
11. Teaches courses offered by the department
12. Monitors classroom activities of the department to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction
13. Recommends to the Dean the assignment, relief, graduate training, and academic promotion of instructor personnel in the department
14. Approves leaves of absence and temporary duty of instructor personnel in the department
15. Maintains contacts with other educational institutions (civilian and military) and with professional societies and promotes the educational advancement of instructors through in-service training programs
16. Submits a report of departmental activities to the Dean at the end of each academic yearv
17. Performs other duties as directed by the Dean.
Department Head plays multiple roles in intrafaculty relationships. Within the department the Head has the dual roles of military command and academic leadership. Within the division and in relationships with other departments, the Department Head coordinates and cooperates in carrying out the academic program.
The Division Chair:
1. Assists the Dean in the development of academic and faculty policies
2. Exercises academic leadership in the integration of courses and the improvement of instruction within the division
3. Provides guidance in the development and modification of the division’s academic majors or minors programs
4. Represents the division in matters that are of concern to all departments and courses within the division
5. Coordinates the work of the division with the work of other divisions
6. Presides at divisional meetings
7. Coordinates the preparation of catalog material for the division
8. Performs other duties as directed by the Dean.
The relationship between the Division Chair and the Department Heads is clear. The Chair is a coordinator, not a director. The sole role is one of leadership in academic matters; the Chair has no supervisory or administrative role or responsibilities over other departments or courses.
And what is the nature of these “other duties as directed” assigned to Permanent Professors? The list includes recurring tasks such as leading the Academy through its periodic accreditation events, chairing standing committees of the Academy Board, such as the Class Committees (now called Academic Review Committees), serving as officer representatives to various athletic teams, and leading committees to investigate significant issues such as allocation of cadet time or the operation of the honor code system. Some committees have been convened to address persistent issues, others to investigate and make recommendations for new initiatives. These activities are often cited in the individual biographies of Chapter 5.
As detailed in Chapter 3, the Vice Dean plays an essential role in executing the Academy’s programs. To give proper credit, here is a complete list of the Permanent Professors who served as Vice Deans of the Faculty:
| 1954–1956 | Colonel Robert F. McDermott | 1996–1998 | Colonel David A. Wagie | |
| 1966–1967 | Colonel Peter R. Moody | 1998–2000 | Colonel Gunther A. Mueller | |
| 1967–1968 | Colonel William T. Woodyard | 2000–2002 | Colonel Alan R. Klayton | |
| 1968–1970 | Colonel Wayne A. Yeoman | 2002–2004 | Colonel Hans J. Mueh | |
| 1970–1973 | Colonel Roger R. Bate | 2004–2006 | Colonel James H. Head | |
| 1973–1978 | Colonel Philip J. Erdle | 2006–2008 | Colonel Douglas N. Barlow | |
| 1978–1984 | Colonel John P. Wittry | 2008–2010 | Colonel John M. Andrew | |
| 1984–1986 | Colonel John T. May | 2010–2012 | Colonel Richard L. Fullerton | |
| 1986–1988 | Colonel Kenneth H. Fleming | 2012–2014 | Colonel Thomas L. Yoder | |
| 1988–1990 | Colonel James R. Woody | 2014–2016 | Colonel Kathleen Harrington | |
| 1990–1991 | Colonel Douglas J. Murray | 2016–2018 | Colonel Gary A. Packard | |
| 1991–1994 | Colonel Daniel W Litwhiler | 2018– | Colonel Troy R. Harting | |
| 1994–1996 | Colonel James H. Head |
The Dean’s staff provides assistance to the Dean in faculty administration in the areas of military and civilian personnel, fiscal planning and execution, and also broad support to the departments in their individual missions. Some functions of the faculty are best organized centrally under the Dean rather than distributed to the individual departments. Two obvious examples are course scheduling and the library, but also audiovisual services, training devices, supplies, and budget. When General McDermott became Dean in 1957, he opted for a very small staff, a move which was appreciated by the Permanent Professors. At the time of General McDermott’s retirement in 1968, the staff included a small Faculty Executive and the following major elements:
Faculty Research
Counseling and Scheduling
Instructional Technology
Cadet Library
These essential central functions, by one name or another, have carried forward to the present day, with the notable addition of the category of International Programs:
Office of Research
Student Academic Affairs and Academy Registrar
Center for Educational Innovation
Cadet Library (the McDermott Library)
International Programs Office
The first four of those listed are headed by Associate Deans who report to the Vice Dean of the Faculty. In addition to the four Associate Deans who are directors of the major support agencies, there is a Senior Associate Dean (discussed below) who, like the Permanent Professors, reports directly to the Dean.
In 2005 the Dean, General Born, established the new position of Associate Dean for Curriculum and Strategy. The position was designed to be occupied by a civilian professor, brought out of one of the academic departments for a period of three to four years for the primary purpose of assisting in the coordination and integration of the core curriculum, especially as regards the USAFA Outcomes. Additionally, appointing the individual from the ranks of the civilian full professors provided opportunities for individual professional growth as well as providing the Dean with a senior civilian faculty advisor. The first incumbent in the position was Dr. Evelyn T. Patterson (Department of Physics), who served from 2005 to 2009. Next were Dr. Aaron R. Byerley (Aeronautics), 2009–2013, and Dr. David A. Westmoreland (Biology), 2013–2016. In 2016 General Armacost renamed the position as Senior Associate Dean and appointed Dr. Steven K. Jones (Behavioral Sciences and Leadership) to the position, which he presently holds.
Office of Research. General McDermott established a research office in 1962 and appointed Colonel Richard C. Gibson as Assistant Dean for Research. The Research program is now overseen by an Associate Dean of Research, currently Lieutenant Colonel Donald W. Rhymer. The Office of Research serves as the support hub for the research and development programs at the Academy. The Academy is now home to 19 Research Centers and two Institutes. These Centers are listed in Appendix F and their activities are described in the Academy’s annual research report. Those research efforts associated with an academic department are also highlighted in Chapter 4.
Student Academic Affairs and the Academy Registrar. The current Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs is Dr. Thomas R. Mabry, who was appointed to the position in 2014. The office is responsible for all academic record keeping, producing the academic schedule and assigning cadets to classes and sections each semester, maintaining a cadet’s status with regard to meeting graduation requirements, identifying cadets deficient in academics, supporting cadets’ selection of academic majors and their counseling by their academic advisors, determining graduation order of merit and graduation lists, and procuring diplomas to be awarded at graduation. The bulk of the detailed work for the graduation ceremony is handled by the Registrar’s office. The organization includes the Academic Success Center, encompassing the Academy’s Strategies for Academic Success Program, a Writing Center, a Reading Enhancement Program, the Quantitative Reasoning Center, and the Graduate Studies Office.
The registrar function, the keeping of student records including transcripts, was initially established under the Superintendent as part of the office that managed cadet admissions. The first Registrar was Colonel Boudreau, who had been reassigned from the Dean’s staff to the registrar position. The scheduling of classes and academic counseling of cadets, both critical to the success of the institution, had always been a function of the Dean’s staff. However, a reorganization in 1985 separated the functions of the Director of Admissions, who still reported to the Superintendent, and the Registrar, who was relocated under the Dean of the Faculty. Lieutenant Colonel Dean H. Wilson become the Director of Curriculum and Scheduling in 1984. In 1985 he became the Academy Registrar as well, and in 1987 he was named the Registrar and Director of Academic Affairs. In 2006 the Director’s title changed to Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs and Academy Registrar. Dr. Dean Wilson retired from the Air Force in 1993 and returned to the position as a civilian. In 1994 he stood-up the Center for Student Academic Services, now expanded into the Academic Success Center. Dean Wilson served with distinction in the post of Academy Registrar for nearly 30 years, until he passed away from cancer in 2013. He had earned the trust and respect of every Permanent Professor.
Center for Educational Innovation. From the earliest days, the Dean’s office had managed support functions such as audiovisual services, the TV studio, and graphics. As technology advanced, operation of the USAFA local area computer network and a help-desk to resolve cadet computer issues were added. Lieutenant Colonels Bruce Doyle and Larry Bryant, respectively, were instrumental in providing outstanding AV and computer support.
In 1992 the Dean, General Randy Cubero, took the big step to establish a Directorate of Education to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at the Academy and to coordinate and facilitate educational innovation and research. The Directorate included the Center for Educational Excellence as the primary academic support agency for faculty development and academic assessment (including institutional and programmatic accreditation), and also the Technical Assistance Center, which promoted educational technology integration and provided audiovisual, video teleconferencing, and computer hardware and software support for all faculty and cadets. In 2000 the Multimedia Laboratory was opened in the McDermott Library to provide cadets with access to a wide range of office productivity resources and on-site training on their use whenever the library was open. The Directorate also housed the Office of Faculty and Cadet Research, the Air Force Institute for National Security Studies, and the Air Force Institute for Information Technology Applications (see Appendix F).
The individuals responsible for the growth and development of the Directorate of Education were Colonels Joe Burke and Randy Stiles (the first two directors) and Colonel Rolf Enger, who was Director for 16 years. Colonel Enger joined the Directorate of Education at the beginning as its Director of Faculty Development, 1992–1994, and returned as the Center’s Director in 1999–2002. In 2002 Rolf retired from active duty and served in the post for another 13 years as a civilian. Upon his second retirement in 2015, the Directorate of Education was broken into two parts: a new Office of Research and the Center for Educational Innovation. Absent in the reorganization was direct support for the information technology infrastructure and cadet and faculty computers, part of which had been taken up by the Air Base Wing’s 10th Communications Squadron and part by a contractor directed from the Dean’s office.
The Center for Educational Innovation, currently directed by Associate Dean for Educational Innovation Dr. Rob Flaherty, is the Dean’s central focus for supporting departments in their pursuit of providing the highest quality education for cadets. The key goal is to stimulate evidenced-based improvement in academic programs and learning experiences. To that end, the Center’s interconnected programs are Academic Assessment (to develop and sustain a culture of accountability and commitment to improving cadet learning), Instructional Design (to promote innovative and effective course design to support cadet learning), Faculty Development (to engage faculty in continuous development and the use of effective, evidence-based practices in curriculum delivery), Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) (to guide and encourage peer-reviewed scholarship that enhances understanding of effective teaching and learning practices), and Educational Technology (to support access to proven technologies that enhance cadet learning). In addition, the Center oversees the Academy Scholars Program (discussed in Chapter 3). The SoTL is considered one of the Academy’s research centers.
Cadet Library. The early directors of the library were introduced in Chapter 1. Lieutenant Colonels Arthur Larsen and George Fagan did a truly superb job establishing the library in a very short time. The 1959 accreditation report, based on a February 1959 evaluation visit, had the following to say:
— “The library, like the other parts of the Academy, is magnificently housed and has all the most modern equipment.”
— “Its books, periodicals, and other holdings … give clear evidence of being selected to support the Academy’s curriculum.”
— “…a weapon of great force and range in the Academy’s arsenal and gives promise of further improvement.”
The report went on to say the authors felt there was not another college of the Academy’s size that had a library as good. The library continued to improve under Colonel Fagan’s leadership for the next 10 years. His talents were recognized when he was appointed a Permanent Professor in 1962. Among his innovations was creation of the Special Collections Branch, housing the archival documents and photographs of the Academy’s development. He played a key role in the Academy’s acquisition of the Richard Gimbel Aeronautical History Collection, one of the most comprehensive early aviation archives in the world. Following George Fagan, there was a series of officers who served admirably as Library Director, and the library continued to grow under their leadership. Perhaps most notable among them was Lieutenant Colonel Reiner “Swiss” Schaeffer, Library Director from 1982 to 1992. In 1981 the library space was expanded by about 40,000 square feet by covering a space on the third floor that had previously been an open-air garden. The result was a grand entrance directly from the terrazzo and more floor space for cadet study, reference librarians, and the periodicals collection. In 1995, taking advantage of the new civilian faculty program, the Academy hired its first professional librarian, Dr. Edward A. Scott, who served as McDermott Library Director until his retirement in 2017. During his 22-year tenure, Ed Scott laid the foundation for moving the library into the modern age.
Modern technology and student desires for a better study environment have been changing library requirements all across the country for at least the past decade. Libraries are no longer just book depositories. Now they serve as hubs of learning and collaboration that extend through the campus and into the community. In response, the Dean of the Faculty established a “Library of the Future” Committee to develop plans to modernize the McDermott Library. The effort was chaired by Dr. Aaron Byerley, Associate Dean for Curriculum and Strategy. A preliminary “Library of the Future” plan, completed in early 2016, calls for a substantial reduction in book holdings (removal to an external storage and retrieval facility), features a collaboration hub on the third floor, and relocates the Academics Success Center and tutoring program to the library, among other changes. The plan does not increase the amount of space assigned to the library, but significantly redesigns and reassigns the available space.
Although the tentative target for the project is 2020, the first phase was completed in 2017. This was the renovation of the third floor of the McDermott Library to remove periodical stacks and install individual and group-study carrels. Half of the funding for the project came from USAFA Endowment gift funds, while the remainder came from appropriated monies. This kind of private-public partnership is expected to be necessary to complete the project. When the Library of the Future is fully operational, the collaboration hub on the third floor is expected to be available to cadets 24/7.
Office of International Programs. Located within the Department of Foreign Languages, and currently led by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel E. Szarke, this office is described briefly in that department’s section of Chapter 4. The office administers the various international programs for both USAFA and international cadets, as well as the International Officer Program. It is also the point of contact for all official foreign visitors to USAFA. Historically, the office grew out of the Foreign Area Studies Program Council, the group that coordinated the Foreign Area Studies major, namely the Permanent Professors/Department Heads of Foreign Languages, History, Political Science, Economics, and Military and Strategic Studies. The Chair of the Council was rotated among departments, until it settled in Foreign Languages in 2007. At about that time the Office of the Secretary of Defense urged the academies to significantly increase opportunities for foreign exposure for cadets and midshipmen and provided the funds and manpower to enable the effort. The result is the dramatic expansion of foreign exchanges, foreign visits, and study abroad programs for cadets as described in Chapter 3. The international emphasis also included USAFA hosting “International Week,” attended by 60 cadets and 13 officers from 26 foreign countries in Academic Year 2017–2018. Several of these countries reciprocated by hosting 42 cadets and 13 officers at their academies, either during spring break or during the summer. Moreover, 13 international cadets graduated with the Academy Class of 2018 after completing the four-year International Cadet Program. What began in the 1960s as a bold initiative to create a cadet exchange with the French has blossomed into a multifaceted program enriching the education and life experiences of hundreds of cadets each year.