Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Koons | Onboard USS Wasp, Jesse Souza (right), chief fire controlman, and Ulysses Bird, a Navy...... read more read more
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NORFOLK, Va. – For sailors looking to earn college degrees, the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education is one place to start. Onboard USS Wasp, the crew learned of the many benefits NCPACE offers during a Navy College presentation, Oct. 18.
“We came here to talk about all of the programs we have at NCPACE as well as giving sailors ‘asset’ testing in math and English,” said Ulysses Bird, an education specialist for Navy College Norfolk, Va. “We showed them that NCPACE allows you to take college courses through non-traditional means such as CD-ROMs, palm pilots, and other high tech tools. We also talked about how NCPACE offers the chance for college professors to come aboard Wasp and other Navy commands to teach classes.”
In addition to explaining various NCPACE programs, Bird and the Navy College team also provided sailors with asset tests that help them qualify for college level courses.
“If they score high enough, they can enroll in any NCPACE math or English courses,” said Bird. “The best part is you don’t have to log-on to the Internet to take them. They are right there on the CD-ROMs and other tools we offer.”
NCPACE is also beneficial to those who cannot afford to pay for a traditional college education, said Bird.
“Taking NCPACE courses is completely free, all you have to do is pay for your books,” he said. “It’s just a matter of doing your courses on your computer and turning in your paperwork to your educational services officer.”
Earning a college degree benefits Sailors in just about every way imaginable, said Bird.
“Not only does it build your self-esteem, but getting a college degree helps your advancement opportunities and is a perk if you want to get a commissioning,” he said.
For some of the Wasp sailors in attendance, getting a chance to earn a college degree for free is an opportunity too good to pass up.
“Education is a very important part of anybody’s future, and since NCPACE offers college courses for free, it was definitely something to take advantage of,” said Jesse Souza, chief fire controlman, who took an English asset test. “My goal is to get a degree in electronics technology, since my rating is geared towards that and it will assist my future growth as well as the growth of those sailors who are under me.”
Other sailors said they plan on working through NCPACE in order to move from the enlisted to the officer ranks.
“If I get most of my college courses done with NCPACE, I don’t have to spend as much time in school in order to get commissioned,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Richard Weaver, fire controlman.
Like Souza, Weaver plans on getting a bachelor’s degree in a field that will benefit him both personally and professionally.
“I’d like to study electrical engineering because it’s an interesting field that I’d like to pursue both inside and out of the Navy,” he said.
For more information on NCPACE and other Navy College programs, visit https://www.navycollege.navy.mil.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.22.2010 10:32 |
| Story ID: | 58627 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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