The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) is a federal program offered by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

and

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

which grants two-year

Associate of Applied Science An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

(AAS) degrees in association with Air University. CCAF serves approximately 300,000 active, guard, and reserve enlisted personnel, making CCAF the world's largest community college system. The college awards over 22,000 associate in applied science degrees from 71 degree programs annually.https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Barnes/CCAF/
/ref> The CCAF is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools through Air University.

History

In the early 1970s, the Air Force decided to attempt to gain accreditation and recognition for Air Force training programs. Representatives of the Air Training Command (ATC), Air University, and the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...

held numerous conferences in 1971 to discuss increased training for Air Force

non-commissioned officers A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

(NCOs). These conferences, in turn, recommended the foundation of an Air Force community college. On 9 November 1971, Gen John D. Ryan,

Air Force Chief of Staff The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is a statutory office () held by a general in the United States Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to th ...

, approved the establishment of the Community College of the Air Force. The

Secretary of the Air Force A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

approved the plan 25 January 1972, and the college was officially established on 1 April 1972, at

Randolph AFB Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the Un ...

, TX.USAF Air University: Community College of the Air Force General Information
Until the mid-1970s, the CCAF offered only certificate programs. It became apparent that CCAF standards exceeded the minimum requirements of associate degree programs in civilian community colleges. Therefore, in 1975 the Air Force sought degree-granting authority for the college from Congress. President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-361 on 14 July 1976 authorizing the AETC commander to confer the associate degree.
/ref> Following an evaluation in October 1976, the

U.S. Commissioner of Education The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the federal Office of Education, which was historically a unit within and originally assigned to the Department of the Interior in the United States. The position was created on March ...

certified degree-granting authority in January 1977. The college awarded its first AAS degree in April 1977.USAF Air University: Community College of the Air Force General Information
When the Commission on Occupational Education Institution charter was limited in 1975 to non-degree-granting institutions, the CCAF began seeking accreditation from the SACS Commission on Colleges. The Commission on Colleges accredited the CCAF on 12 December 1980. In 2004, Air University became accredited by the SACS Commission on Colleges to award associate and master's degrees. CCAF now shares in Air University's regional accreditation. CCAF was separately accredited by SACS from 1980 to 2004.USAF Air University: Community College of the Air Force General Information
Currently the CCAF is only open to airmen, but Congressman Sestak added language to the 2010

National Defense Authorization Act The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the name for each of a series of United States federal laws specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense. The first NDAA was passed in 1961. The U.S. Congress o ...

to open admission to all branches.

Academics

The CCAF offers Associates of Applied Science degrees in five broad career areas:USAF Air University: Community College of the Air Force
*Aircraft and Missile Maintenance *Allied Health *Electronics and Telecommunications *Logistics and Resources *Public and Support Services Within those 5 broad areas, the CCAF currently offers 67 specific degree programs.
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Community College Of The Air Force 1972 establishments in Alabama Air University (United States Air Force) community colleges in Alabama educational institutions established in 1972 universities and colleges in Montgomery, Alabama