The United States Air Force Academy . Professional development is central to the Air Force Academy experience and distinguishes it from other institutions of higher learning. Four primary areas are stressed: professional military studies, theoretical and applied leadership experiences, aviation science and airmanship programs, and military training. The intent is to provide cadets the knowledge, skills, values and behavior patterns necessary to meet the leadership challenges of the 21st century where they will spend more than half their Air Force careers.
Academically, the Academy is recognized as one of the finest colleges in the nation, producing 30 Rhodes Scholars and hundreds of other scholarship recipients in its 34 graduating classes. A core curriculum allows cadets to acquire a broad education in the basic and engineering sciences, in social sciences and humanities, and to choose from 25 disciplines.
A thletic programs stress physical fitness, intercollegiate excellence and leadership development in a competitive environment. Cadets participate in 27 men's and women's intercollegiate sports, with many of the teams, including football and basketball, competing in the Western Athletic Conference. In addition, a broad program of intramurals instills in cadets the spirit of teamwork and leadership that is essential in Air Force officers.
The Academy boasts some of the finest sports facilities anywhere, including a multi-faceted field house, cadet gym, myriad tennis courts and outdoor playing fields, as well as two 18-hole golf courses. Civilian and military coaches combine their talents to instill a competitive spirit in cadets, a spirit that has made winning an Academy tradition.
P roviding the bulk of education and training is a corps of dedicated, professional career Air Force and other service officers whose wealth of experience makes them ideal role models for cadets. Distinguished visiting professors from civilian colleges and universities complement the officer corps and offer different perspectives and experiences in the classrooms and lecture halls.
The Cadet Honor Code is the centerpiece of a cadet's moral and ethical development. Each cadet pledges: "We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does." All cadets take formal courses in ethics and receive honor and ethics instruction as part of their military training.
The Academy experience is different - difficult, rewarding, and necessary to meet the challenges of Air Force leadership. Some 12,000 men and women seek entry to the Academy each year. Of this number, only about 1,300 are selected. These new cadets will have the characteristics that will help them meet the challenges of the Academy's rigorous, demanding program. In years past, the Academy has provided its graduates with, what author Tom Wolfe calls the right stuff, the stuff of heroes. Heroes - like Capt. Lance P. Sijan, Class of 1965, who earned the Medal of Honor posthumously for never ending his personal fight for freedom after he was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese. Like Col. Karol J. Bobko, Class of 1959, who piloted the space shuttle Challenger in 1983 and commanded two space shuttle missions in 1985. Another graduate, Col. John Blaha, Class of 1965, commanded the 1991 Atlantis Space Shuttle flight and piloted two previous shuttle flights.
