Air University BOV concludes annual gathering Published Nov. 8, 2024 By Billy Blankenship Air University Public Affairs The Air University Board of Visitors met on Air University's campus November 5-6, 2024, at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. The BOV was established in 1946 to provide independent advice and recommendations on matters pertaining to Air University's educational, doctrinal, and research policies and activities. Serving the Secretary of the Air Force, the board meets twice per year at Air University to provide an out-brief on their findings and recommendations, helping to ensure the university remains responsive to the needs of the Air Force and the broader national security community. “In his presentation to the Air University Board of Visitors, retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Chris Kemp, AU’s chief of education technology, shared insights into AU's work related to its federated, integrated immersive learning environment and discussed various education technology highlights, including the Air University Artificial Intelligence Community of Interest transcript automation, the Ed Tech Consortium, AURORA generative AI chatbot, Canvas SaaS, and the AFIT-EN Fall Graduation,” said Shawn Omailia, Air University’s chief of advisory boards and strategic operations. The BOV also fulfills the requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Air University's institutional accreditor, while the Air Force Institute of Technology Subcommittee of the board serves a similar role for the Higher Learning Commission, AFIT's institutional accreditor. These accrediting bodies ensure that the university meets rigorous academic standards and is committed to continuous improvement and innovation in its educational programs and services. Additional topics discussed were key positional changes, such as the new provost and chief academic officer, Dr. Yolanda Williams, reorganization elements related to the Air Force Accessions Center’s inclusion of the accessioning elements previously part of Air University, and other items as Air University continues to modernize the learning environment to develop warfighters for great power competition. “We provided an overview of the Global College for Professional Military Education's journey related to non-resident education and discussed the Agile Learning Concept, highlighting a 92% student satisfaction rate and 84% agreement that they were delivered an enhanced educational experience,” Omailia said. “They addressed the future of Agile Learning, which includes three paths: fully online distance learning path, the hybrid path and the max hybrid path.”