CCME 2009 Symposium

As a prelude to CCME 2009, Military Advanced Education would like to offer readers the following roundtable question and answer session with past and present CCME leaders including former president Louis Martini and the director of the education services division at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Amy Moorash and director, Corporate and Military Programs Center for Distance Learning, Empire State College, SUNY, Linda Frank. This roundtable is highlighted by an in-depth interview with outgoing CCME president Kathleen Connolly who reflects on her accomplishments during her tenure as CCME President and shares her views on the goals and direction of CCME for the year ahead.

LOUIS MARTINI
Former president
CCME
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Q: As former CCME president, what do you view as the major accomplishments of your tenure?

A: During my years at CCME, the organization has grown considerably, and last year, we started to embrace different standards, both for the way the organization is run and how it is presented. We felt a shift from the mom-and-pop organization of our roots into a meeting place for professional development and networking among military educators. At the same time, we worked hard to maintain the personal connections that the organization has grown from, embracing both the changes that come with growth as well as the foundation that has always allowed for close interactions and an attendee-driven agenda.

Q: Over your tenure, what do you see as the biggest driving factors to shape current-day CCME policy direction?

A: As the size of the organization has increased, policies have also had to change. We have recently started working with an event management company to address the needs of our attendees and exhibitors.

As we move forward, this process will continue to become more efficient and streamlined for our guests.

Over the years, CCME has become a meeting place for multiple organizations allowing people with a more singular focus to come and gain the perspective of everyone working together in military education as a whole.

Q: During your tenure, how has CCME moved forward in facilitating partnerships between military and college educators?

A: CCME has always had two positions on the board that focus on these relationships. The VP of institutions and the VP of military are responsible for maintaining and strengthening connections that have always run strong in the organization. Recently, we have also started to build on relationships with other organizations in order to collaborate ideas and develop more outcome-based results. The goal is to establish connections that will last throughout the year.

Q: How has CCME addressed changes in the national economic situation and the effects on financial aid accessibility for servicemembers pursuing an education?

A: The focus of CCME is not on the national economic situation as much as it is on the government’s response to the economic situation. With the recent development and upcoming implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, CCME has invited and encouraged these discussions to take place at the symposium when everyone will have a chance to hear the same information and have access to the people who have the answers. In addition to the programs that are being developed on a governmental level, the reach of these programs is also being extended beyond the servicemember to the family. CCME, in turn, has responded with scholarships for spouses and sessions that address family members and the resources available to them.

Q: What forthcoming changes in online education do you anticipate in 2009 that will facilitate servicemembers’ abilities to further their careers?

A: The field continues to develop and mature as the resources rise to meet the needs of the student, both in the realm of technology as well as course developments. Gaming technology has started to make its way into the online classroom, allowing students to have virtual experiences that a traditional online education has not been able to provide. Ten years ago, it was difficult to convince people that online courses were a valid way of learning. Now, it is impossible to discuss education without factoring in some component of distance learning.

As we move forward, what we have come to know and understand of online learning will morph into something far more advanced, offering opportunities to students to learn in a way that is entirely new. We will also start to see developments in academia as instructors adapt to new teaching styles and as programs are created to suit students growing up in a world that is continually striving to be better.

AMY J. MOORASH
Director, Education Services Division
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
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Q: As CCME secretary based at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, how have you seen CCME influence servicemembers interested in pursuing an education from home and abroad?

A: The influences of the Council of College and Military Educators [CCME] are far reaching and touch servicemembers, civilians and families on all military installations in CONUS and OCONUS locations. The very foundation of CCME is to support advocacy, and the council takes a “grassroots” approach to influencing the agenda, projects and areas of interest for college and military educators alike. This year’s symposium agenda [Embracing Our Heroes—Shaping Our World:

Educating Servicemembers, Spouses and Families] speaks to the men and women in uniform on our military installations, posts and bases who dedicate their lives to serving their country and the educators here at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where dedicated military members and civilians spend all their time and energy dedicated to warrior care. This care extends from the hospital to the classroom to helping our warriors heal and the warriors and their families to transition from their injuries to independence. Because CCME advocates for and strives to provide information to those who work with our military men and women, it has influence in shaping the way colleges and universities work to create more flexible learning options and strive to provide accommodation for recovering servicemembers and their families. At Walter Reed we see first-hand the benefit of flexible and accommodating programs for warriors in transition and their families. When college officials, instructors and even military educators are more informed about the issues facing our transitioning men and women in uniform, those organizations are better able to meet needs, develop new programs that bridge the gap and offer alternatives that are more inclusive. CCME has a direct influence on this process because it brings together military educators at home and abroad.

Q: During your tenure with CCME, how have you seen online/ distance education change through the introduction of CCME programs and initiatives?

A: The burgeoning online and distance learning environments have seen a momentum all their own that is due in part to advances in technology but also due to a better understanding that individuals can learn in many different formats. CCME has brought to the forefront the advances in military education that support this growing online and distance learning environment by encouraging expert advisory programs and panels to explore issues and share research conclusions with the membership.

This is most evident by panels that are being presented at this year’s symposium that focus on military spouses and students and the advantages of having access to flexible learning—to include distance learning. This is also evidenced by a Presidents Panel and Distance Learning Panel of experts who will review research into the success of online learning, military education/ college issues and research into distance learning outcomes and success rates with the support of the SLOAN foundation. The Distance Learning panel was requested by the membership at last year’s symposium and will be a great opportunity for attendees to learn and share information on outcomes associated with distance education and learning outcomes.

Q: Looking ahead, what do you see from a CCME standpoint as one or more of the major influences CCME may have on military education programs?

A: CCME has the benefit of approaching issues as an all-volunteer organization. That means that the influence of the larger military service is represented but not in charge of the agenda presented by the membership. This unique CCME composition of populations of learners, and sharing among the membership the advances of the military services and colleges. This year’s symposium will allow attendees to see first-hand the benefits and challenges associated with a generation of men and women who bring to the classroom challenges we have not previously seen—technological advances that allow transitioning men and women to continue in their military careers and focus on their education as a part of that transitioning—whether it is healing and dealing with traumatic injury, or adjusting to becoming the primary caregiver and provider in the family for the first time. Education is a key component of that, and CCME will continue to encourage colleges and universities as well as military educators to discuss and work through the challenges this generation of men and women in uniform are presenting in the advent of new technology and their need for increased support and flexibility. CCME will continue to challenge the services to develop a joint tuition assistance solution. Such efforts have long-standing impacts on the Department of Defense and our military leaders. I see this as one of the big issues CCME will have to wrestle with over the coming years.

LINDA FRANK
Director, Corporate and Military
Programs Center for Distance Learning
Empire State College, SUNY
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Q: As director, Corporate and Military Programs Center for Distance Learning, how have you seen CCME influence servicemembers interested in pursuing an education from home and abroad?

A: CCME has established itself as a trustworthy organization that encourages collaboration among the multiple entities involved with providing educational opportunities for servicemembers across the globe. In my role as director of military programs at an educational institution, I rely on the resources, information and networking opportunities that CCME provides through its Website, online newsletter and at its annual symposium. Without the resources provided by CCME and other collaborating organizations such as SOC, ACE and DANTES, we would not be able to serve our military students as effectively. CCME works with military and educational institutions to resolve issues that interfere with servicemembers’ educational success, and it is this collaborative effort that fosters an understanding and appreciation of the challenges military students face. Servicemembers are much more likely to pursue an education if they know in advance that they will receive the appropriate support and resources from their command and from the educational institution.

Q: During your tenure with CCME, how have you seen online/ distance education change through the introduction of CCME programs and initiatives?

A: When we first became involved in military programs as an online institution more than a decade ago, there was a significant amount of resistance from some of the military components and some of the traditional institutions that weren’t yet convinced of the quality and effectiveness of online learning.

I think that CCME has fostered a greater awareness of online learning by providing a venue at its annual symposiums for attendees to discuss the benefits of distance learning, and how it positively impacts the educational progress of deployed servicemembers.

Over the years, I have seen educational institutions–traditional and online—become much more creative with course delivery options, and with the extensive student support services that go along with online learning programs. I have also seen educational institutions move away from an “either/or” option of traditional vs. online, and develop “blended” learning options that allow students to combine traditional, online, and “mobile” learning in a single course or single term.

Q: Looking ahead, what do you see from a CCME standpoint as one or more of the major influences CCME may have on military education programs?

A: I believe CCME will continue to influence military education programs in a number of ways, including the continued development of creative delivery options. However, I think CCME’s greatest influence will be related to its ability to open the lines of communication among the military, military organizations/ agencies, and educational institutions so that they can better understand each other’s challenges and needs when it comes to providing quality, affordable education to all servicemembers and their family members. ♦

A Fond Farewell

Military Advanced Education would like to extend our congratulations to M. Kathleen Connolly, President, CCME for her successful stewardship of CCME.

Kathleen Connolly is the education services officer for Fort Lewis, Wash. As the ESO, Connolly oversees the management of the college programs, computer labs, testing programs, basic skills programs, budget, Army tuition assistance and administration that support the Army Continuing Education System (ACES) total program and services worldwide.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, she lived in New Mexico, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Japan, and Afghanistan. After graduating from Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Fla., she earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Florida at Tampa in 1969 and a Master of Education from Boston University in 1980.

Connolly entered government service at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Northport, N.Y. She worked in Germany for the Army’s drug and alcohol program before joining ACES in Stuttgart, Germany. Her ACES career also includes standing up the Army Education Centers in Afghanistan with oversight of all sites to include Uzbekistan for nine months; serving in Bosnia- Herzegovina with responsibility for Croatia and Hungary during SFOR 10, SFOR 11, and SFOR 12 for 10 months; ACES Headquarters, Alexandria, Va.; Okinawa, Japan; Swaebisch Gmuend, Germany; and Landstuhl, Germany. Connolly also worked for the Naval School of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.

Connolly completed training in Franklin Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People; American Society for Quality course in Strategic Quality Planning; Disney Institute for Disney Approach to Quality Service; Total Army Quality Manager Applications Course; Leadership Education and Development Course; Contracting Officer Representative Course; and Contract Quality Assurance Course.

She is an active member in the military education community. Currently, Connolly is the president of the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) and served for two years as the CCME vice president for Military. A member of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE), Connolly served as the secretary/treasurer for the Commission on Military Education and Training (CMET). Connolly was awarded the 2006 Tilton Davis Jr. Military Educator of the Year award. She is the past president and Army representative for the Association of Military Educators of Washington State, 1990–1992. Testifying before the Washington State Legislature, she supported and endorsed in-state tuition rates for active duty military and spouses.

Connolly has been honored with the Department of Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service and the Department of Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, in addition to numerous performance and on-the-spot awards.

Connolly was interviewed by MAE editor Christian Sheehy.

Q: When you took office, what was your primary objective for CCME during your year in office?

A: To plan and carry out a successful 2009 symposium that would meet the needs of our membership for professional and personal growth and enrichment. This was particularly challenging given the location, economy and that WW09 Worldwide Education Symposium 2009 will be held in July ‘09. CCME’s symposium theme needed to reflect the sacrifices and service of our brave men and women serving in uniform and their families.

CCME’s 2009 theme of Embracing Our Heroes—Shaping Our World: Educating Servicemembers, Spouses and Families provides a platform for diverse topics and presenters.

Q: As the outgoing CCME president, what do you view as the major accomplishments of your tenure?

A: The accomplishments of the past year are due to the excellent elected executive board and appointed committee chairs who are dynamic professionals. In addition to having demanding and critical day jobs, each person dedicated themselves, with the support of their commands and academic institutions, to creating a cohesive team. Everyone took on tremendous responsibilities, and then worked independently and as a team to build a solid agenda and enjoyable experience:

• Successful Symposium with over 500 registrants
• Balanced budget
• Framework started for scholarship endowment fund
• Continued scholarships for active duty military; and
• NAIMES accepted the CCME’s invitation to become an affiliate. CCME VP of Institutions has an ex-officio position at the NAIMES meetings, and the VP/president- elect of NAIMES has an equal position on the CCME board.
• Partnership with Indtai Inc. to develop and maintain CCME Website

Q: In reference to CCME Web offerings, what are some of the initiatives being worked on?

A: Indtai Inc. (www.indtai.com) specializes in the military family services, education and environmental services arenas. Indtai Inc. Academic Explorer LLC will enhance the current CCME Website with existing content, and at CCME’s discretion, add any new content to be developed in cooperation with CCME. Indtai Inc. and Academic Explorer LLC will also host the Website on our servers, and also support the ongoing maintenance of this Website, all at no cost to CCME. The initial term of this agreement is for a period of five years from the date of acceptance.

Q: What do you see as the biggest driving factors that will shape CCME in 2009?

A: The continued recognition and support from voluntary military education, academia and corporations for CCME in providing a balanced, straightforward, trustworthy venue for current and emerging information and trends in military voluntary education.

Q: Given the current economic situation, how has CCME addressed financial aid accessibility for servicemembers pursuing education?

A: CCME supports SOC and ACE in promoting military-friendly academic institutions. CCME provides scholarships and opportunities for DoD and voluntary education service chiefs to address trends in tuition assistance. CCME is working out the details and legal issues for its Scholarship Endowment Fund at this time. We envision that donations will be made in honor of persons, organizations, events to increase the number and dollar amount of the annually awarded scholarships.

Q: What haven’t I asked you that you would like to add?

A: To sincerely thank MAE in partnering with CCME to highlight military education. To thank the CCME board who have become friends for the dedication, countless hours of work and idealism. To thank my command and staff for their support in making this year successful and exciting. ♦