You are in the official 2008-2009 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Department of Aerospace Studies
The Craig School of Business
LT. COL. SAMUEL B. VANDIVER, Chair
KATHY HIRASUNA, Department Administrative Assistant
North Gym, Room 158
559.278.2593, 559.278.7080
FAX: 559.278.5245
http://www.csufresno.edu/afrotc/
Air Force Reserve Officer
Training Corps (Air Force ROTC)
Faculty
Lt. Col. Samuel B. Vandiver, Chair
Major Thomas J. Ringlein
Captain Michael R. Salviani
Advisers:
Technical Sgt. Maria Avila
Staff Sgt. Eric Gleason
The Department
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps ROTC Program is a college-based program open to men and women.
Air Force ROTC offers students that graduate from the program the opportunity to serve in a tremendously rewarding leadership position as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Non-scholarship students may participate in the program for one to two years without signing a contract with the Air Force. In either case, ROTC years of service will provide young men and women leadership and management experience that will serve them well as an Air Force officer or a civilian in the private sector.
Several routes for an Air Force commission are available to college students in Air Force ROTC. Entering students may enroll in the four-year program, while students with at least two years remaining in college may apply for a compressed option. For instance, students who enter the program with 3 or 3.5 years remaining to graduation can commission on time provided they accomplish program requirements. Contact the detachment faculty and staff for more information on these various options.
The Air Force ROTC education program provides professional preparation for future Air Force officers. It is designed to develop men and women who can apply their education to their initial active duty assignments as Air Force commissioned officers. In order to receive a commission, an Air Force ROTC cadet must complete all requirements for a degree in accordance with university guidelines as well as completing certain courses specified by the Air Force.
Air Force ROTC courses are taken for academic credit as part of a student's electives. The two major phases of the curriculum are the General Military Course (GMC) and the Professional Officer Course (POC). The last two years of the program must be completed at California State University, Fresno. The first two years of the program may be completed off-campus if a student is enrolled in one of the local junior colleges and plans to transfer to the university at the beginning of his or her junior year. In the Aerospace Studies program, ROTC books, supplies, and uniforms are furnished at no cost to the student.
Air Force ROTC scholarships are available to qualified applicants. Each scholarship provides full tuition, laboratory and incidental fees, and a $350 semester allowance for curriculum-required textbooks. In addition, scholarship cadets receive a nontaxable $300-$500 subsistence each month during the school year. All two-year program cadets, regardless of scholarship status, receive $450-$500 per month, and may be eligible to receive the cost of tuition (up to $1,500 per semester) and a book allowance.
Other scholarship programs are available to fill critical Air Force requirements. Additional money through express programs is available as well as the one-year commissioning program. Contact the unit admissions officer for the latest information.
Aerospace Studies Minor
A Minor in Aerospace Studies consists of satisfactory completion of the
Air Force ROTC program (16 upper-division units, of which 6 must be in residence)
and a 2.0 GPA.
Career Outlook
Although flying is a critical mission of the Air Force, it forms only
a part of the 160-plus career specialties available to new officers. Today,
since science and technology are a large part of the national defense, the
Air Force needs the best scientists and engineers the nation can produce.
It also needs other professional men and women with a broad range of knowledge
and skills.
Most young officers who enter the Air Force today do not expect to be pilots
or astronauts. They want to be part of the large research and development
program of the vast support organization that keeps our country strong and
progressive. Exciting job opportunities exist everywhere in the Air Force.
In addition to the recurring need for pilots, the Air Force also needs personnel
to work in navigation, space and missile operations, engineering, mathematics,
physics, computer science, and in the support fields of personnel, administration,
logistics, finance, education, security forces, health, and others. In the
years ahead, Air Force ROTC will continue to concentrate on preparing men
and women to assume important and responsible positions of leadership in
the modern Air Force.
Faculty and Facilities
The teaching staff in the Department of Aerospace Studies is composed of highly educated and experienced Air Force officers who are selected for their professional experience, academic background, and instructor qualifications. Along with their extensive operational assignments and experiences, these officers undergo extensive academic and instructional training as professors and assistant professors of Aerospace Studies. All hold advanced degrees from various American universities as well as graduation certificates from a variety of intensive Air Force professional courses and schools.
General Military Course (GMC)
To be eligible for the GMC you must:
- be a full-time college student
- be age 14 or older
- be of good moral character
- meet the academic standards for admission to California State University, Fresno
Professional Officer Course (POC)
To be eligible for the POC you must:
- be a citizen of the United States and not less than 17 years of age;
- be physically, mentally, and morally qualified in accordance with standards established by the Department of the Air Force;
- have two academic years, either undergraduate or graduate, remaining at the time of POC entry;
- take and pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test;
- (a) For pilot and navigator: be not more than 29 years of age at date of commissioning; (b) For all other categories: be not more than 30 years of age (34 years for those with prior military service) at date of commissioning;
- be a full-time student according to the rules of California State University, Fresno; and
- be approved for AFROTC training by the professor of aerospace studies.
Aerospace Studies Courses