U.S. Air Force Academy's dean to retire

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  U.S. Air Force Academy Dean of the Faculty Brig. Gen. Dana Born plans to retire during the summer of 2013, Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould announced Nov. 8.

Born, a 1983 Academy graduate, has served as the Academy's ninth dean of the faculty since Oct. 1, 2004.

"General Born's departure will be a tremendous loss for all the mission partners who work with the faculty, and for the entire Academy," Gould said. "She is undoubtedly one of the most influential and innovative deans in the Academy's history.

"General Born's leadership, enthusiasm and vision have been instrumental in every major strategic initiative undertaken by the Academy during the past decade, and she and her family have served honorably and faithfully for nearly 30 years. Selfishly, our Academy family is saddened by Dana's decision to retire, but at the same time, we're proud of, and thrilled for, the Born family," Gould added.

As dean, Born has served as the Academy's chief architect for the ground-breaking Officer Development System. She was the Academy's point person during the sexual assault and sexual harassment challenges in 2003. She led the Academy's educational and research programs to top national rankings, bolstered the institution's learning culture and guided the Academy's 10-year accreditation effort, resulting in 16 accolades by the Higher Learning Commission.

Born also introduced several innovative programs into the curricula, including unmanned aerial systems and cyberwarfare. She led an overhaul of the Academy's assessment architecture by designing the Academy's strategic plan. She enhanced diversity and fostering inclusive excellence for cadets and faculty and greatly expanded the language and cultural immersion programs.

Starting Nov. 13, Air Force officials will post advertisements for Born's successor both through military personnel system channels and national higher education publications. Soon thereafter, the secretary of the Air Force will charter a search committee to review applicants and make recommendations to the secretary and the Air Force chief of staff.