Education made easy

  • Published
  • By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dillon Davis
  • Altus Air Force Base Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The Altus Air Force Base Education Office, located in Building 87 room 221, is the first stop on the path to higher education for members here at Altus AFB.

The education office offers personally tailored education guidance for individuals who are wanting to expand their educational horizon and take advantage of the many benefits offered by the U.S. Air Force.

“We offer tuition assistance, associate degree and bachelor’s degree counseling,” said Rhonda Rowles, Altus AFB Education Office chief of education and trainers. “We also advise students on G.I. Bill benefits, how to find a school that fits their educational needs and we provide individualized counseling to transitioning families. Our goal is to help get students enrolled and give them the best shot we can at success in pursuing their education.”

Tuition assistance is a commonly used benefit that many members apply for to fund their pursuit of education and ensuring the member fills out and files the application properly is an important job.

“It is important that students who wish to use tuition assistance to apply for the funding between 45 and seven days before the start of class,” said Rowles.

For enlisted members who are looking to become an officer, the education office can help start you down your path.

“We schedule and conduct Air Force Officer Qualifying Tests for military members who are wanting to become an officer,” said Rowles. “We also proctor tests for transitioning into a rated-officer career field.”

The education office offers a plethora of services to the enlisted and commissioned military members of Altus AFB, but they don’t exclude the population of civilian employees.

“We also offer civilian education services that many people may not know about,” said Rowles.

The education office offers civilian employees services to help advance their career development and growth.

“There are many free services that are offered to our civilian employees that can help advance their careers,” said Grace Sandoval, Altus AFB Education Office civilian training specialist. “They can complete online training available through the Air Force E-Learning site. They also have access to tuition assistance just like the military members.”

An important change of note for our enlisted members is the upcoming changes to the Community College of the Air Force’s course catalogs.

“The Community College of the Air Force has come down and said that if you switch to the new 2017 course catalogs, you can take an English course and an advanced English course to fulfill your written and oral communication credit hours requirements,” said Rowles. “Students can contact us beginning January 2017 to find out more about switching to the new course catalog.”

The workers at the education office are dedicated to providing first-class services to Altus AFB members to ensure that tomorrow’s Air Force is highly educated and ready for any mission.

“Every Airmen has a different path to education, so we encourage them to call or stop in to find out how we can help,” said Rowles.

For additional information, contact the education office at 580-481-6619.