DAU opens Mid-Atlantic Region in Patuxent River, Md: taking education directly to the workforce - Acquisition Education, Training, and Career Development

Program Manager, May-June, 2002 by Sylwia Gasiorek-Nelson

Continuing its goal of transformation in acquisition training by providing products, services, and reorienting campuses where the acquisition workforce is highly concentrated, the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) opened its Mid-Atlantic Region at Patuxent River, Md., March 20. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted by Army Col. (P) James R. Moran, former DAU Commandant, Fort Belvoir, Va.: Navy Vice Adm. Joseph "Joe" Dyer, Commander, Naval Air Systems Command; and Barbara Smith, Dean, DAU Mid-Atlantic Region, took place at Patuxent River on April 10.

Welcome

In one of her first public appearances as dean of the new region, Smith welcomed government-industry customers from the Mid-Atlantic Region; colleagues from DAU; and representatives from St. Mary's College, College of Southern Maryland, the local Chamber of Commerce, and St. Mary's County Smith also recognized distinguished guests participating in the day's events: Donna Richbourg, Director, Acquisition Initiatives, Office of the Secretary of Defense; William Hauenstein, Director, Navy Acquisition Career Management: Moran and Dyer.

Smith emphasized that this event marks the continuation of a long and lasting relationship between the University and the major acquisition activities in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

"With our continued presence in both the Norfolk and Petersburg areas," said Smith, "and the stand-up of those state-of-the-art facilities for our customers, including the Naval Air Systems Team, we are positioned to provide world class-training and support where and when it is needed.

"This is a dramatic step for transformation of the DoD acquisition workforce," she emphasized. "DAU Mid-Atlantic Region will be the keystone for acquisition education and performance support to provide sustained acquisition excellence within Defense Acquisition commands located within our five-state area. This is an exciting challenge as the workforce continues to evolve at a rapid rate with a large influx of new employees anticipated over the next few years."

In the Foxhole

Introducing the first guest speaker, Smith welcomed Moran, whom she referred to as "the driving force behind the implementation of the DAU transformation."

"This a great day for the Mid-Atlantic community DAU, and the Navy," Moran said. "Our intention is to try to regionalize and stand up five major campuses. We're four of five now, and it's a tremendous achievement. We have one more left In California--coming later this year," he said.

With the new regional scheme, Moran said that DAU was now "in the foxhole

with the customers, and by being a part of the community, DAU is able to provide more relevant products and services.

"We're becoming a part of the Patuxent River and Navy community and it's a great achievement for all of us at DAU. Thank you all for corning, and we're looking forward to serving the workforce in the DAU Mid-Atlantic Region," he concluded.

Attempting Our Future

Dyer, who served as guest speaker for the ceremony has long been associated with the Navy's Acquisition Workforce, supporting development and professional growth. He told the audience that there is a direct link between acquisition, technology logistics, research and development, test and evaluation, and delivery of "winning warfighting."

Looking to the future, Dyer said that we now have growing up today in this country from ages 9 and 10, a set of people who are going to be well skilled in distance learning and well skilled in modeling and simulation.

"[They] are going to be a jump ahead of the rest of us in terms of managing programs and managing undertakings that are so important to our security in this nation, and so important in the role we play the world over."

Dyer said that he finds it exciting to see not only the great classrooms of the Patuxent facility but also what's being done in terms of reaching out and in terms of extended learning.

"We are genuine and foursquare standing in terms of our support and our input of greater numbers of people into this institution," he said.

Underscoring the importance of DAU's new facility Dyer said, "It's where we train and attempt our future. It's where we'll draw upon not only for training into the future, but we expect to draw upon people with current and ongoing programs to have the kind of expertise that we would find at the Fort Belvoir campus. To find such expertise here, locally is a wonderful thing."

Concluding his remarks, Dyer said, "Thank you for recognizing Pax River's role in the acquisition process. Thank you for coming here today It's going to be a great association and we're looking forward to It."

Cottonwood Building

The Mid-Atlantic campus consists of 44 staff and faculty members, who will focus not only on teaching but also on research and performance support. Their agenda includes working with local offices and staying current on major issues and needs of the acquisition workforce throughout that regional area, which has approximately 30,000 acquisition personnel.

The DAU Mid-Atlantic facility will offer the new six-week Program Management Office Course (PMT-352), replacing the former 14-week Advanced Program Management Course (PMT-302) as the Level Ill PM Certification Course, as well as a wide variety of business and technical courses, including Systems Engineering and Production courses available to military and civilian personnel within the Department of Defense. Current plans are to provide 70 to 80 weeks of Instruction per year.