Cadet Summer Research Program: Air Force Academy Cadet Exposed to "Real World" of Military Life - Acquisition Education, Training And Career Development

Program Manager, Sept-Oct, 2001 by Alberta Ladymon, Mary-Jo Hall

Cadet Isaac T. Bell arrived on May 15 this year at Fort Belvoir, Va., with one primary goal -- to experience work as an active duty military member of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) staff. Bell knew he would be assisting with research and participating in a variety of management and leadership curricula development activities, which is a routine part of the Research Internship Program.

Although he came to DAU to learn and gain on-the-job experience, somewhere along the way he became truly immersed in the military way of life, with all its hardships, loyalties, history, culture, and comradery.

He learned that military life is an experience and a close-knit community, not just a routine duty or job. Entering the world that supported acquisition professionals was fast-paced, multi-dimensional, and interesting. And in a culture saturated with acronyms and abbreviations, he also acquired a new vocabulary.

Finding a Niche

Since his assignment was assisting faculty member Dr. Mary-jo Hall, he literally "reported" to the classroom. As it turned out, the class that Hall was teaching at 8 a.m. on his first day was a class on Strategic Direction -- a topic directly related to his primary research project. Bell decided it made a lot of sense to actually attend the class as a student. From that point on, he became not only Hall's assistant, but also an adjunct member of the Advanced Program Management Course (APMC) 01-2-H.

For his primary research project, Bell served on a research team tasked with developing a measurement system for the Program Manager Community of Practice (PM CoP). Using the Balanced Scorecard approach, the team members designed the performance management system for DAU's new PM CoP. They also used the storyboard technique to capture the design of the PM CoP.

As part of the experience, Bell immersed himself in the activities of Section H as though he were a full-fledged student, accompanying them on their trip to Capitol Hill and playing on their softball team for Sports Day Adding to the "experience" part of the assignment, he helped his team win by hitting the only home run against the faculty team. Bell attended several other APMC classes and electives and, on a personal note, participated as reader for Air Force Cal. Owen Gadeken's retirement ceremony.

A highlight of the Research Internship was the opportunity to shadow senior officers in acquisition positions. Bell met Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael C. Mushala, Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Bombers and Fighters, and accompanied him to his Pentagon staff meeting. He then shadowed Air Force Maj. Ronald Jobo, also with PEO Fighters and Bombers, for the rest of the day Such experience allowed him to see how DAU's mission supports the acquisition community.

Life From the "Opposite Side of the Podium"

During the six-week assignment, Bell was heavily involved with a variety of activities supporting Hall and her work in the Program Management and Leadership (PML) Department. One of Bell's central areas of focus during the assignment was the PM SMARTbook elective course. He participated in all facets of the course from designing classroom materials to developing a CD-ROM. The experience of assisting in the preparation of curriculum allowed him to see the academic environment from the "opposite side of the podium."

Because his assignment was developmental, Bell also completed many of the leadership aspects of the PML curriculum, including a baseline assessment of his own leadership skills, and generating ideas for enhancing his ability to lead Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy To learn more about himself, he completed and internalized the findings of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality assessment. He also attended the MBTI elective with Otto Kroeger, a nationally known organizational consultant and best selling author whose primary area of expertise is use of the MBTI.

Cadet Bell came to DAU with no exposure to the academic side of acquisition, technology, and logistics. Hopefully he left with a wealth of initial exposure to the skills that breed successful leaders, program managers, and program executive officers. Of the nine cadets DAU has sponsored since 1994, has DAU unknowingly hosted a Senior Acquisition Executive in the making? One can only wonder.

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Born in Knoxville, Tenn., Cadet Bell attended schools in Sullivan, Miss., and in Charlestown and Borden, Ind. In 1998, former Congressman Lee Hamilton appointed him to the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Bell is on the Superintendent's list for military, academic, and athletic proficiency. He is currently majoring in Management. The Department of Management at the U.S. Air Force Academy offers cadets the opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree in Management, and is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The Cadet Summer Research Program is designed to offer the best and brightest management majors the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom in the context of "real-world" organizational environments.