Q&A: Vice Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr.
Written by Diana McGonigle
Investing in Each Member of the Coast Guard Through Voluntary Education
Vice Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr.
Chief of Staff
U.S. Coast Guard
Papp’s previous assignment was commander, Ninth Coast Guard District with responsibility for all Coast Guard missions on the Great Lakes.
Papp was promoted to Flag rank and appointed director of Reserve and Training in October 2002 and was responsible for support of 13,000 Coast Guard Ready Reservists and all the Coast Guard’s Training Centers.
He has served in six Coast Guard cutters and commanded the cutters Red Beech, Papaw, Forward and the Coast Guard’s training barque Eagle. He served as commander of a task unit in Operation Able Manner off the coast of Haiti in 1994, enforcing United Nations sanctions and supplementing Naval forces during the intervention in Haiti, Operation Uphold Democracy.
Assignments ashore have included the Commandant of Cadets staff at the Coast Guard Academy; Aids to Navigation staff in the Third Coast Guard District; chief of the Capabilities Branch in the Defense Operations Division; chief of the Fleet Development Team; director of the Leadership Development Center; chief of the Coast Guard’s Office of Congressional Affairs and, deputy chief of staff of the Coast Guard. Papp is a 1975 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. He holds a Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies awarded by the United States Naval War College in Newport, R.I., and a Master of Science degree in management awarded by Salve Regina College, also in Newport. Papp is the 13th Gold Ancient Mariner of the Coast Guard.
Vice Admiral Papp was interviewed by Diana McGonigle, MAE editorial coordinator.
Q: How are you involved with military voluntary education as Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard and Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Headquarters?
A: The Coast Guard’s success is first and foremost a credit to our incredible people, and throughout my career I have been very interested and involved in the training and education of our diverse work force. In my role as the Coast Guard’s Chief of Staff, I am engaged in many aspects of our members’ careers. Clearly, voluntary education is a crucial part of many members’ development, both professionally and personally. Professionally it helps people progress in the service and prepares them for more challenging assignments. Personally, education offers every one of us the opportunity to expand our horizons and can certainly help most people ease the transition into whatever they chose to do after their Coast Guard career has ended.
In my previous headquarters position, I served as the director of Reserve and training. In that position, my staff and I were responsible for all Coast Guard Education Programs. In addition, in 2003 and again in 2006, I had the privilege of representing the commandant at the DoD Worldwide Education Symposiums and, as you know, these forums offer a tremendous opportunity to share challenges and best practices across all the services.
Q: What are your goals for military voluntary education?
A: Our overarching goal is to leverage voluntary education to best support the unique needs and demands of the Coast Guard. We are a small service, deployed world-wide, on small ships, stations and bases that do not lend themselves to traditional college/classroom solutions. SOCCOAST and distant learning opportunities are often the best answers for our people.
To assist in the development of our tremendous work force, we are committed to investing in each Coast Guard member through voluntary education. Through our Tuition Assistance Program we provide all Coast Guard people, active duty, Selected Reserve and civilian employees with up to $250 per credit hour, with a yearly cap of $4,500.
Most recently we have enhanced our Education Services Officers (ESO) program to promote and assist our members in their academic endeavors. We are in the process of adding new full time ESO positions in select locations to best serve Coast Guard people in the field. This internal initiative is championed by our Operational Commanders.
Q: On an average, how many Coast Guard personnel are currently taking advantage of government-supported higher education for both professional and personal development, and what are the estimates on what the Coast Guard spends annually on higher education?
A: In fiscal year 2007 over 8,100 Coast Guard people enrolled in at least one college course at nearly 1,000 individual colleges and universities. In total we spent over $15.5 million dollars from our Tuition Assistance fund to support these educational efforts of our work force.
Q: What is SOCCOAST participation?
A: Nearly half of our enrollments are in SOCCOAST member schools. On-going Servicemembers Opportunity College [SOC] efforts to reach out to institutions with the potential to better serve our Coast Guard personnel are extremely encouraging. Through our SOCCOAST coordinator we are looking at targeted educational opportunities in support of our Maritime Law Enforcement Academy and a law enforcement degree. Another area of SOCCOAST focus is for members seeking to meet educational requirements for developmental career ladder positions in the acquisition management and the Education Services Specialist areas.
Q: Are many officers using TA to pursue graduate degrees? How many enlisted? Do you see them gravitating to any particular fields?
A: We have over 800 officers using TA to pursue graduate degrees. We also have approximately 445 enlisted personnel and 165 civilians enrolled in graduate level courses. Although no particular academic majors currently stand out, we anticipate that we will see increased enrollment in contracting, acquisition management and finance/budgeting areas. Additionally, we sponsor a full-time advance education program that is separate from the voluntary program. This program targets the specific educational requirements needed by our service in a number of academic areas including strategic intelligence, engineering, environmental management, industrial hygiene, and others. This program provides over 150 graduates each year to fill vital positions requiring advanced education in all of the mission areas of the service.
Q: How has distance learning changed military advanced education?
A: For the Coast Guard, distance learning is our lifeblood with regards to military voluntary education. Distance learning has increased the availability of advanced educational programs across the Coast Guard. Expert scholars are available to Coast Guard learners at workstations everywhere in the Coast Guard—even at the smallest and most isolated units where there is no opportunity for traditional college enrollments. Likewise, the Coast Guard has very few installations with a large enough student population to support on-base delivery of courses. The expansion of distance learning by so many academic institutions has been one of the keys to the continued growth of the Coast Guard’s Voluntary Education Program.
Q: I didn’t make it to the DoD Worldwide Education Symposium in Orlando. How did the Senior Officer Panel participate?
A: I was honored to participate on the Senior Officer panel at the DoD Worldwide Education Symposium in both 2006 and 2003. At the most recent symposium I spoke about the need to provide alternative delivery methods to our Coast Guard men and women, and colleges and universities have continued to respond to this need. The symposium also offered me the opportunity to engage with a broad spectrum of Coast Guard people in attendance. The energy within the Coast Guard’s ESO community is impressive and contagious. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful group of dedicated professionals and they are making a difference while helping our people in the field fulfill their educational needs.
Q: How did your college education help you in your current and past jobs?
A: Education has played a key role in my personal and professional life. I graduated from the Coast Guard Academy many years ago, and more recently have earned master’s degrees from the Naval War College and Salve Regina College. These educational opportunities have enabled me to adapt and meet the myriad of challenges I have faced throughout my Coast Guard career. It is said training prepares you for specific tasks, but education gives you a broader intellectual base to deal with all types of situations. I have definitely found that to be the case for me and countless others with whom I have worked.
Even at home I am reminded of the value of education. My wife is a school teacher, so you can imagine education is a topic of regular discussion in our house.
Q: What trends do you see in military voluntary education? What accounts for these trends?
A: I think the most obvious trend is the continuing growth of distance education. I believe colleges and universities have embraced the concept of providing alternative means of delivery, and for Coast Guard people, that has created opportunities that were not even thought of a few years ago.
In addition to the satisfaction of setting and completing personal educational goals, collectively—as a service—we are better prepared to meet the challenges of a dynamic and highly globalized world with a work force enthusiastic about, and able to continue, lifelong learning. Earning a degree also helps our people gain confidence, take on more responsibility and enhance their leadership potential.
Q: Do you see any challenges ahead for military education?
A: Technology is driving significant change in how people gain knowledge and access educational opportunities. We must continue to make programs available to our people and help them navigate what is becoming a complex and very sophisticated world of programs and options. Obviously, this effort takes funding. Our Tuition Assistance budget has grown from a $1 million dollars to over $15 million in just 6 years. We are extremely supportive of the program and strongly encourage our members to participate. At the same time we also face the very real challenge of how to manage this expansion. We have added ESO positions and need to continue to evaluate the needs of our people to ensure we are providing the right tools to help each and every person meet their educational needs.
Q: Do you have anything else to add?
A: We are extremely pleased to have Master Chief Timothy Zernick as the first Coast Guard member to serve as the special enlisted advisor to the director of the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support [DANTES]. In this role, he advises the director on Voluntary Education issues, needs, and requirements affecting members of all the uniformed services. Additionally, he conducts visits to military installations—DoD-wide—as an outreach to servicemembers and the Voluntary Education Services community. His selection to that position is another indication of our increasing commitment to educational activities. ♦