Angelo State University and Goodfellow Air Force Base have entered into two new partnership agreements — to house GAFB students on ASU's campus, and to facilitate faculty development for GAFB instructors at ASU.
Angie Wright, ASU vice president for finance and administration, and Col. Andres Nazario, commander of the 17th Training Wing at GAFB, signed the two five-year Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSA) during a special ceremony Friday, Aug. 21, in the ASU Houston Harte University Center.
ASU President Ronnie Hawkins was unable to attend the ceremony, but he acknowledged the strong bond between ASU and GAFB.
“To be associated with Goodfellow the way we are now, with Col. Nazario and his staff, is great,” Hawkins said. “Having spent 37 and a half years in the Air Force, to come back here to Angelo State and do something like this, especially during this period of time, it’s just fantastic. I’m really excited about it.”
The housing initiative allows ASU to lease 55 rooms in its Plaza Verde residence hall to GAFB to house up to 110 military students. GAFB is currently experiencing a drastic shortage of student housing, as well as a delay in the construction of a new 400-bed residence hall.
This agreement will help alleviate the housing shortage until construction of the new hall on base is completed in 2026. It is also a landmark IGSA between the military and a public university, said Susan Williams, ASU director of affiliated military and veteran services.
“The housing initiative is the first of its kind in the nation, and I can’t think of any better institutions than ASU and Goodfellow to blaze this trail,” Williams said.
ASU will benefit from the guaranteed annual lease payments. GAFB will save about $800,000 annually compared to the cost of alternative on-base lodging, and about $4 million annually compared to the cost of housing students in off-base commercial lodging.
Military students housed at ASU will also utilize campus dining facilities and have access to the Ben Kelly Center for Human Performance fitness facility. They will remain subject to military regulations, as well as ASU’s residence hall policies and COVID-19 safety protocols.
The other IGSA formalizes the Doolittle Scholars Faculty Development Program. Currently, GAFB sends a select number of instructors to ASU each semester to take classes, experience faculty development and earn 12-15 credit hours. The initiative is paid for using Air Force training funds, but is subject to cancellation in the event of budget shortfalls.
Through the Doolittle Scholars program, GAFB will enroll 15-20 instructors at ASU, and ASU will provide scholarships and waivers to cover the cost of their tuition. GAFB will continue to pay for their books, parking passes and miscellaneous fees not covered by the scholarships.
ASU will benefit by having a steady stream of full-time students and collecting fees. GAFB will benefit by guaranteeing faculty development opportunities for its instructors – and also by saving approximately $436,000 over the course of the agreement.
This IGSA is the first of its kind between an Air Force Wing and a public university to develop military training faculty.
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