FORT SILL, Oklahoma (Nov. 21, 2018) -- Fort Sill joined public schools and higher educational institutions across the U.S. as they celebrated American Education Week, Nov. 12-16.
The Fort Sill Education Services Division (ESD) sponsored activities throughout the week to promote Army programs to assist Soldiers and family members with their educational pursuits, as well as to publicize the offerings of the seven on-site universities and colleges, said Michael Dodds, ESD chief.
"We wanted to make people aware of the importance of education, what's offered on Fort Sill, and what programs people can do while they are here, whether they are a Soldier, family member, or a civilian," Dodds said. "There are so many programs, and we can help you become successful."
Continuing education is paramount for a young Soldier for many reasons, Dodds said.
First, it helps them with promotion points to advance faster, he said. "But bigger, it sharpens problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills to become better leaders, better Soldiers, and that's going to enhance unit readiness.
"Even if they decide to transition from the Army, their education will have better prepared them to become civilians," Dodds said.
Because Monday was a federal holiday, activities began Tuesday with a Facebook live education fair from the ESD administrative offices in Building 4700.
"Normally, we do an education fair for Soldiers and families to come to our location; well, this year we brought it to them digitally via Facebook live-stream," Dodds said. "It lasted an hour and a half."
On Wednesday, the Harry S Truman Army Education Center, where classes are held, conducted an open house for the public. All Fort Sill schools were represented: Central Texas College, Cameron University, Columbia College, and Upper Iowa University, which are the undergraduate programs. School reps from the University of Oklahoma, Webster University, and Wayland Baptist University were on hand to talk about their graduate programs.
Army counselors were also there to provide information to service members and family members on ESD services, such as counseling, and testing.
All tests are free to Soldiers, Dodds said. These include credit by examinations tests, such as CLEP and DANTES; and the full array of Army proficiency tests, like the language proficiency, and aptitude tests; GT exam to raise their general-technical scores.
A frequent question was about using tuition assistance, and counselors explained what TA is, how it can help a Soldier, how to enroll for it, and set up an account, Dodds said.
"Over 250 people came to the open house, and we had 35 free pizzas for lunch," Dodds said.
The Fort Sill theme for American Education Week was, "Education: It's a Slam Dunk," Dodds said.
It seemed fitting to do something basketball, so the first Field Artillery v. Air Defense Artillery game was played Thursday afternoon at Rinehart Fitness Center. It featured the 75th Field Artillery Brigade Destroyers against the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade Defenders. The game went back and forth, until the Destroyers were able to pull away late in the game, winning, 71-57.
The Cameron University cheerleaders and mascot "Ole Kim" and the Eisenhower High School pom team supported the game.
Activities and giveaways were provided during halftime and during breaks in the basketball game. T-shirts, mugs, water bottles, towels, writing utensils, footballs, etc., were complimentary of the on-post universities, Dodds said.
Fort Sill's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, as well as Town Square Media also provided generous coupon gifts, he said.
Thomas Condry, Wayland Baptist University Fort Sill student recruiter/adviser, manned a table in Rinehart's lobby during the game. He said he also participated in the virtual education and open house earlier in the week as part of Wayland's outreach for its master of arts offering here.
"We are trying to get people interested in our programs," he said. Condry added that Wayland also offers undergraduate degrees at Altus and Sheppard Air Force bases.
On Friday, two free college writing workshops were offered to everyone even those who weren't students, Dodds said. In the morning, Columbia College conducted a Modern Language Association workshop. In the afternoon, Webster hosted an American Psychological Association workshop.
The week of educational outreach activities was a success, Dodds said. He noted the Facebook event had 1,500 views; over 250 people attended the open house, and a couple hundred were at the basketball game.
"We had a lot of fun, we are going to do this again next year, and I hope more people take advantage of it, and the educational opportunities offered at Fort Sill," he said.
Social Sharing