PA G E
2
August 26, 2016
GOSPORT
When the Navy College office closes, how do I pursue my educational goals? By Ed Barker Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC) Public Affairs
With the announcement of the closings of 16 stateside Navy College Offices on Oct. 1 of this year, and the remaining four (Norfolk, Virginia, San Diego, California, Jacksonville, Fla., and Kitsap, Wash.) closing by Oct. 1 2017, many Sailors are asking how they will start or continue their education. After Oct. 1, the majority of Voluntary Education (VolEd) services in the Continental United States will be provided by the education counselors at the Navy College Program’s Virtual Education Center (VEC). According to Ernest D’Antonio, Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center’s VolEd program director, the goal of restructuring service delivery is to provide Sailors the educational tools and information when and where they need it. The VEC call center hours are from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday Selects from page 1
their chief’s anchors. “We depend on our fleet SMEs to determine the content of the E-4 – E-7 rating advancement exams,” said Hill. “They’ve been given the details of the advancement center and process today in their selectee training, but they can build on that knowledge by returning for a few weeks and playing a vital role in the exam construction process – and also taking that increased knowledge back to the fleet.” NETPDC, located at Saufley Field Pensacola, provides products and services that enable and enhance education, training, career development, and personnel advancement throughout the Navy. Primary elements of the command include the Navy Advancement Center, Navy Voluntary Education and the Resources Management Department. Get the latest information on Navy enlisted advancement by visiting the Navy Advancement Center on Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/NavyAdvancement-Center213190711299 . Additional information about the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center can be found via https://www. netc.navy.mil/netc/net-
through Friday and may be reached by calling: (877) 8381659 or DSN 492-4684, or by email at VEC@navy.mil. “This new VolEd structure will make educational programs, includi n g counseling, tuition assistance and testing services accessible for all Sailors in the continental United States through a combination of self-service and virtual services,” said D’Antonio. “The colleges themselves will still have access to bases for teaching courses and counseling students.” The Pensacola Navy College office will close on Oct. 1, but academic institutions with partnership agreements will continue to provide services as they have in the past. Currently, Pensacola is served by: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Southern Illinois University; Coastline Community College;
and Pensacola State College (Whiting Field). The four NCOs staying open until October 2017 will continue to provide full services, including counseling and testing, until they close. Most of the current steps in the V o l E d process will not change under the new delivery service model. Sailors are expected, both now and in the future, to talk with their chain of command about pursing an education program; research education programs via the Navy College Program website and the Defense Activity for NonTraditional Education Support (DANTES) website, including completing information modules such as the DANTES Higher Education Preparatory Course and/or TA Decide; receive counseling from a Navy College Program education
counselor; work with an approved academic institution to develop an education and degree plan; meet all Navy eligibility requirements to use TA, including completion of Navy WebTA training and TA applications that will be approved by the Sailor’s command; and successfully complete their academic courses. The MyEducation portal on the Navy College website is available 24/7 for Sailors to establish and monitor their accounts, ensure their degree plans are current and verify they have received education counseling. Academic institutions requesting access to Navy instal-
lations are required to use the U.S. Air Force Academic Institution Base Access Portal to request visitation for student interaction, education fairs, Morale, Welfare and Recreation events, sponsorship, command visits, etc. The portal can be found on the internet via: https:// aiportal. acc.af.mil/aiportal/ . Additional information may be found on the Navy College Program website’s “Base Access” page at: https:// www. navy college. navy. mil/ base_ access_info.html . For more information on the Navy College Program and the Virtual Education Center visit https:// www. navy college. navy.mil/ . Follow Navy Voluntary Education on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Navy VoluntaryEducation/. Additional information about the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center can be found via https://www.netc.navy.mil/netc/n etpdc/Default.htm . For more on Navy College closing, see Gosport page A5.
Names sought for NASP’s Gold Star program in September From staff reports
NAS Pensacola Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC), in cooperation with the National Naval Aviation Museum (NNAM), will conduct the Bells Across America for Fallen Service Members ceremony Sept. 22 at 11 a.m. at the NNAM. The event is a national program that remembers and celebrates the lives of fallen service members. The ceremony is being conducted simultaneously across the nation and the names of our fallen heroes will be read aloud. For each name, a bell is struck one time. Filmmaker Jill Hubbs will be the guest speaker. Hubbs recently produced the documentary “They Were Our Fathers,” in which she shares the experiences of those whose fathers died in Vietnam as well as her personal experience of losing her father.
The Navy Gold Star Program serves the families of all who died on active duty, regardless of branch of service or cause of death. The program serves survivors by providing support, information and services as long as they desire. FFSC is asking all Gold Star Survivors to participate in this event and is actively soliciting names of those in the local area whose survivors wish them to be recognized during the ceremony. Anyone whose family member died while on active duty is asked to contact Kathy Sims at 452-4277 or Kathy.sims@navy.mil. Provide name, rank and date of death of the decedent and the Gold Star family relationship. A photograph will also be requested to be respectfully displayed during the event. For further information, call Sims at 452-4277.
Volunteers from page 1
after communicated with McArthur, which led to a base-wide call for military volunteers. In her presentation, McArthur noted Escambia County has a large school district, about 42,000 students, and a relatively high poverty rate. She offered the military members a host of volunteering possibilities, such as mentoring, adopting a school to provide support, acting as “lunch buddies,” helping with reading, STEM studies, book clubs, math and more. “You represent that consistent role model, perhaps for the first time for many of these students,” McArthur said. “If we get you
Vol. 80, No. 34
Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Christopher Martin threw out the first pitch at a Pensacola Blue Wahoos game Aug. 22. The Wahoos went on to win 8-5 over the Mobile Bay Bears. Photo from Blue Wahoos
paired up one-on-one with a student, what a difference that can make.” The need for mentors in the county’s Youth Motivator Mentoring Program is strong. “Research shows that if they have a responsible adult in their life, it helps them long-term in their behavior and all the way around,” she added. Volunteer help for school children can take many forms. “It’s not necessarily teaching or tutoring,” Bergosh said. “Sometimes they need a friend; someone to talk to and share. Someone to ask, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Or ‘What are your goals?’ ... You can bring a lot to the table.” Noting that transportation can be an issue, McArthur provided a list of seven schools lo-
August 26, 2016
Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla.: A Bicentennial Defense Community Commanding Officer — Capt. Christopher T. Martin Public Affairs Officer — Patrick J. Nichols The Gosport nameplate pays homage to the 100th anniversary of naval aviation in 2011: the Centennial of Naval Aviation, or CONA. The image on the left side of the nameplate depicts Eugene Ely taking off in a Curtiss pusher bi-plane from the USS Pennsylvania Jan. 18, 1911. While Ely had taken off from the USS Birmingham two months earlier after his plane had been loaded on the ship, the USS Pennsylvania event was the first time a plane landed on and then took off from a U.S. warship.
NASP CO throws out first pitch... NAS
The image on the right side is the Navy’s most modern fighter aircraft, the F-18 Super Hornet. Established in 1921 as the Air Station News, the name Gosport was adopted in 1936. A gosport was a voice tube used by flight instructors in the early days of naval aviation to give instructions and directions to their students. The name “Gosport” was derived from Gosport, England (originally God’s Port), where the voice tube was invented. Gosport is an authorized newspaper published every Friday by Ballinger Publishing,
cated within five miles of the base, and several others just slightly further. “We want to make it easy for you to volunteer; we can really use your help. You have a great resource here, and we need you,” she said. “There are lots of ways you can help.” NASP personnel have been involved with the school programs in the past. QM1 Angel Herrera, who attended the meeting, worked with a student from Jim C. Bailey Middle School last year. He said it was a positive experience and he believed the student benefited from the interaction. For more information on volunteering with local schools, call NASP Community Outreach at 452-2532 or e-mail NASP_ Comm_Outreach@navy.mil.
314 N. Spring St.- Suite A, Pensacola, Fl. 32501, in the interest of military and civilian personnel and their families aboard the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Saufley Field and Corry Station. Editorial and news material is compiled by the Public Affairs Office, 150 Hase Road, Ste.-A, NAS Pensacola, FL 32508-1051. All news releases and related materials should be mailed to that address, e-mailed to scott.hallford@navy.mil. National news sources are American Forces Press Service (AFPS), Navy News Service (NNS), Air Force News Service (AFNS), News USA and North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS). Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Defense, United States Navy, officials of the Naval Air Station Pensacola, or Ballinger Publishing. All advertising, including classified ads, is arranged through Ballinger Publishing. Minimum weekly circulation is 25,000. Everything advertised in this publication must be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to rank, rate, race, creed, color, national origin or sex of the purchaser, user or patron. A confirmed rejection of this policy of equal opportunities by an advertiser will result in the refusal of future advertising from that source.
For classified ads, call: (850) 433-1166, ext. 29
For commercial advertising: Becky Hildebrand (850) 433-1166, ext. 3 Becky@ballingerpublishing.com Visit Us On The Web At: Ballinger Publishing.Com Mail To: Gosport, NAS Pensacola, 150 Hase Road, Ste.-A, Pensacola, FL 32508-1051
Gosport Editor
Scott Hallford 452-4466 scott.hallford@navy.mil Gosport Associate Editor
Mike O Connor 452-2165 michael.f.o’connor.ctr@navy.mil Gosport Staff Writer
Janet Thomas 452-4419 janet.thomas.ctr@navy.mil