ACSC graduates 409 distance learning students Published June 18, 2010 By Carl Bergquist Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Thirty Air Force members, including five Air Force Reservists, seven Air National Guardsmen and six civilians, attended the Air Command and Staff College Online Master's Program graduation program Saturday at ACSC's Wood Auditorium. They represented a total of 409 students from around the Air Force who earned the degree this year. With about 40 percent of the graduates being Air Reserve and Air National Guard, the total-force aspect of the training has increased since the program's inception in 2007. Brig. Gen. Anthony Rock, ACSC commandant, said he was happy to see the diversity of the graduates at the ceremony. "We had a great mix of active duty, Reserve, Guardsmen and Air Force civilians present, and one came from as far away as Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii to attend," he said. "And it was also good to see so many family members and friends in the audience. It is nice for graduates to receive the recognition they deserve before their family and friends." General Rock said a "big take-away" was the increased presence of students and visiting faculty at this year's ceremony, as it is a direct representation of the growth of the program. Nearly 600 students have received their master's degrees since the program began three years ago. Along with General Rock, Dr. Bart Kessler, Dean of ACSC Distance Learning, presided over the ceremony. "We are very excited for our graduates, their families and the Air Force. The OLMP is a rigorous, challenging program of study, and our graduates' completion represents a win-win for the students and our service," Dr. Kessler said. "This globally-accessible, student-centered program provides the unique opportunity to develop higher-order thinking skills within the context of the war-fighting profession." Maj. John Redfield, a Central Command public affairs officer at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., was one of Saturday's graduates, and he said the ACSC Online Masters Program offered him some great benefits. "First and foremost was the learning experience that developed and deepened my understanding across the spectrum of national security issues," he said. "Second was the flexibility of how the coursework was delivered. The capability of offering the program via distance learning really was key to me being able to complete the program and earn a master's degree. The cliché that 'as long as you have a computer and Internet access, you're in class' really rang true for me, as I'm sure it did for all of my classmates." Major Redfield said his class work followed him around the world, or at least around the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility. He was able to work on courses while in Afghanistan, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, and other locations in the Middle East, and then back at his home station in Tampa.