Abstract
This study presents an in-depth look at the Community College of the Air Force, a nontraditional, transregional, multicampus institution encompassing seven affiliated schools and serving Air Force noncommissioned officers (NCOs). The study consists of two parts: a case study which explores the innovative characteristics and administrative problems the three-year-old institution has encountered; and an organizational analysis applying propositions from James D. Thompson's book, Organizations in Action. The Community College of the Air Force combines Air Force technical training and voluntary education taken through civilian institutions into a program which leads to a Career Education Certificate, much like traditional community college two-year degree programs. The study looks closely at the rationale for forming this unusual educational entity and investigates its traditional as well as nontraditional qualities. Included are: 1. Investigations into the institution's founders. 2. Staffing problems. 3. Management by objective planning techniques. 4. Military -type budgeting and financing. 5. A unique curriculum development program leading to eight main study areas. 6. Handling o f a major confrontation with a "competitive" organization. 7. Unique computerized transcript system. 8. The non-graded grading system. 9. Problems associated with presenting an educational image to the military, traditional institutions, and civilians. The study's organizational analysis explores the case study data using Thompson's concepts to gain broader understanding of how the Community College of the Air Force operates as an organization. The study may be valuable as a pedagogical tool for studying atypical educational institutions and for military groups contemplating undertaking a similar educational program.
Milam, Hugh Henry (1975). The community college of the air force: a case study and organizational analysis. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -183517.