The Space and Missile Systems Center and Air Force Institute of Technology entered a new partnership with Loyola Marymount University to meet the center’s educational goals.

Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, SMC commander, Brig. Gen. Mark Matthews, AFIT commandant and Dr. Richard G. Plumb, Dean of the Seaver College of Science and Engineering, signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a collaborative relationship to meet the educational needs of center personnel unable to attend courses at AFIT’s location in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

The agreement gives students in the AFIT systems engineering certificate program the opportunity to continue their graduate education at Loyola by sharing educational offerings and removing administrative barriers.

The memorandum provide a framework for the university and institute to jointly offer part-time graduate programs primarily to Air Force and Department of Defense employees -- military and civilian -- or defense contractors. It also provides a mechanism for sharing educational offerings between the two institutions. And it encourages research collaboration between them.

Currently, the center’s personnel resources professional development is sponsoring 28 SMC members here and at Kirtland and Peterson air force bases to participate in the one-year, distance learning certificate program.

The program consists of four core courses and a capstone project. Students have an opportunity to work on center-unique issues for their capstone project.

The first class started in September 2004 with a video teleconference held once a week for two hours. The next class starts in September 2006.

For more information call (310) 363-0375 or visit the center’s Web site: http://www.losangeles.af.mil/smc/hr/afit/afit.htm