FORT SILL, Okla. (Nov. 27, 2014) -- Today's Soldier must be able to lead, be flexible and adaptable on the battlefield, manage change, and possess critical thinking and decision-making skills. These traits will not only make them effective military leaders, but prepare them for vocations after the Army.
"The mentality is that education is a key part of leader development now and in the future," said Michael Dodds, Fort Sill Education Services officer. "So civilian education is highly encouraged for all branches of the military because it's part of that Soldier-formulation process where you have your military education, leadership training and have that solid education foundation, and all that together makes up the 21st century Soldier."
To help Soldiers and others reach their educational goals, the Fort Sill Army Education Services Division held an education fair Nov. 18 at its Harry S. Truman Education Center here.
The four-hour event was open to service members, National Guard and reserve, families, DA civilians and the public. It was conducted during American Education Week, Nov. 17-21.
Over 200 people attended and had an opportunity to meet with about 30 school representatives ranging from trades schools to graduate programs. They could also learn about the numerous programs offered through the Army Continuing Education System (ACES) and services at the Education Services Division.
Representatives from the seven schools on Fort Sill manned tables at the fair, including Patricia Hale, Webster University rep.
"We're getting a lot of questions about what programs are offered, when they're offered and if we have online courses," Hale said. A few of the perks about Webster is that it is global at military installations as well as civilian locations, accepts military transfer credits and is specialized accredited, meaning it is beyond just a regional accreditation.
At Fort Sill, about 15 percent of Soldiers who are eligible for a college program are enrolled, Dodds said. These include associate, bachelor, graduate and vocational-tech programs.
Attendee Spc. Marcus Smith, B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 4th Field Artillery, said he learned about the education fair through his command, and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to learn explore the colleges here.
"In Korea, there were only one or two options (for college), now that I'm here I want to start on my bachelor's degree."
He said he's interested in an online information technology program through Lawrence University.
TUITION ASSISTANCE
Despite these austere economic times for the military, there is money available for Soldiers for tuition assistance to help them earn their degrees while they are still in the service, Dodds said.
"The TA policy is 100 percent tuition up to $250 per credit hour," he said. "TA can fund a maximum of 16 semester hours per fiscal year."
Almost 75 percent of TA Armywide goes for online courses, Dodds said. "A lot of our Soldiers now are so tech savvy, especially the younger ones."
To apply for TA, Soldiers use GoArmyEd -- an internet portal, which began in 2006.
"Before, Soldiers had to come to an ed center, visit with a counselor and get courses approved in writing, go to a TA office to get it typed up, and then the commander had to approve it. Then it had to be returned to the ed center before they could enroll," Dodds said. "It was a cumbersome and not user-friendly.
Some of the trade schools at the fair included LeCordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Tulsa Welding College, Spartan College of Aeronautics and Universal Technical Institute.
James Cole, UTI rep., provided information about automotive, diesel, motorcycle and marine mechanics, and auto body repair programs.
"I've talked to Soldiers who are looking for hands-on jobs. I've talked to all-wheel mechanics and other mechanics, who want to get certified," Cole said.
EDUCATION SERVICES
ESD staff were also available to provide information about their services. One of those is the Basic Skills Education Program, or BSEP.
It's for Soldiers who didn't score well on the ASVAB, or need to improve their General Technical (GT) score to change to another military occupational specialty, apply for ROTC or officer candidate school, Dodds said.
The free, six-week program features an onsite instructor and covers reading comprehension, writing skills and math computations.
"A lot of Soldiers don't do well with a self-paced, online program. They need that one-on-one face time with an instructor," Dodds said. "We're one of the few installations that have an in-seat instructor for BSEP. There is some online learning combined with that."
At the end of BSEP students take the Armed Forces Classification Test.
"We just had a gentlemen who started the program with a 106 (score), he tested out today with a 124," Dodds said. "Our average score increase is 10.1 that's a pretty healthy increase."
The ESD also offers full testing services. They are free to Soldiers and at-cost for family members.
Tests include DANTES, CLEP and ACT, as well as Defense language proficiency tests.
Five Army guidance counselors are also available by appointment in Bldg. 4700, on Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Fridays from noon to 3 p.m. (The onsite schools take walk-ins during regular business hours.)
MODERN CLASSROOMS
Education fair-goers also had the opportunity to see the renovated classrooms in the Truman Center. The 18 rooms are used by the onsite schools as well as for some testing by the ESD.
"TRADOC (Army Training and Doctrine Command) is investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into this building to make these Classroom-21 Standard-ized," Dodds said. They feature smart boards, 84-inch video monitors, command podiums, new desks and chairs, lap-tops at every chair, Wi-Fi, new lighting and carpeting, Blue Ray players, and printers in every room.
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