At Wright-patt, a historic changing of the guard
Having guided plan to streamline AFMC, commander to retire. AF’S first female 4-star will lead command.
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE —
As the capstone to a 42-year Air Force career, Gen. Donald J. Hoffman guided planning for a restructuring of the Air Force Materiel Command that is designed to save $109 million annually.
Hoffman retires this week as commander of the AFMC, which includes Wright-Patterson and eight other bases. The command has broad authority for the Air Force’s acquisition, logistics, research and development operations, and manages key aircraft and weapons programs.
On Tuesday, Hoffman will hand the job to Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger, who will become the Air Force’s first female four-star general and is to oversee the completion of the command’s restructuring.
The overhaul, to be done by Oct. 1, includes reducing management layers, eliminating about 1,000 civilian positions and reducing the number of centers across the system from 12 to five. The changes are the biggest since the command was formed 20 years fleet and those of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Air Force also authorized production of new tanker aircraft for aerial refueling, to eventually replace the Cold War-era KC-135 tankers that are still being used.
But the KC-135s could be flying for at least two more decades as the new KC-46 tankers are delivered and deployed, Hoffman said. Boeing Co. plans to deliver 18 of the new tankers by 2017.
“We need to be very deliberate about those discussions and not have them broadly because they’re going to impact the definitions of the performance metrics and really the direction Central State is going to take,” Shahid said.
The university has moved forward on a strategy to create dual degrees with other institutions, including one executed May 30 guaranteeing admission for students from Stark State College in North Canton who have earned an associate of arts or science. In another agreement, Clark State Community College students with an associate of applied science in manufacturing technology can continue at Central State for a bachelor of science in industrial technology.
Central State and Miami University have also established a partnership for teacher education with a joint master of arts in teaching in urban education.
Central State is also developing an agreement that would allow graduates to continue their education at Wright State University. The two schools are also exploring opportunities to share other functions.
Central State hopes to hire a “director of first year experience” by July. The university has received 46 applications for the position.
The new administrator will be responsible for delivering an exceptional first year experience for new students, setting them up for success throughout their undergraduate career, according to the plan.
“The goals identified in the plan are to increase enrollment, have a more selective recruitment process and to ultimately graduate more students, so it’s really all about completion,” Shahid said.
Central State’s 19 percent graduate rate is midrange for the country’s 105 historically black universities. The school’s retention rate for first-time students entering their second year is 46 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
The plan sets out two more deadlines: Sept. 30 and May 30, 2013. Central State will work toward the goals as it continues to celebrate its 125th anniversary, constructs a $33 million student center, progresses on an effort to gain access to more federal resources as an 1890 land grant institution and undergoes a self-study to reaffirm its accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission.