IWAKUNI, Japan - College of Distance Education and Training representatives hosted a seminar aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, for Officer Professional Military Education in the Building One auditorium Aug. 19, 2013.
Representatives from the university included, Col. (Ret) James P. Hopkins, regional director, Col. (Ret) Dale Smith, Command and Staff College regional chief instructor and Maj. (Ret) Scott Uecker, Expeditionary Warfare School regional chief instructor.
All officers aboard station were invited to the seminar and 30 attended including the station commanding officer and executive officer.
The purpose of the seminar was to give officers rank O-1 through O-4 and Chief Warrant Officers more information and help them enroll into classes that are highly recommended for promotion.
“There are two (messages why the seminar was held)...What professional military education programs or options are available to Marine officers of the ranks of captain and major, CWO-3, CWO-4, and officers of other ranks, like first lieutenants, that want to get an early start in PME,” said Hopkins. “The second part of the message for the officers was if you are going to enroll, then enroll now.”
Officers can begin classes at their current duty station, either online or onsite, and can continue classes at any military installation if they change duty stations for any reason.
It is an extremely easy process to transfer the credits of temporary additional duty, unit deployment programs or permanent change of duty station Marines to keep them on the same class schedule, according to Uecker.
“We have a synchronized academic year,” said
Hopkins. “We teach the same lessons during the same week. A person could be home ported right here in Iwakuni, but he can attend, as a temporary student, seminars in Miramar and not miss anything during the academic year.”
Online classes are available where assignments and discussions are conducted via internet. Discussions are held in an open-board format, which allow attendees to debate content assigned for the class.
On site classes are available on military installations with instructors dependent on the number of officers enrolled. Discussions regarding assignments are conducted face-to- face and take place once a week in a classroom setting.
The university helps fulfill the recommended OPME for promotion, defines leadership roles and prepares Marines for their upcoming responsibilities as they move through the officer ranks, said Hopkins.
All OMPE courses begin Oct. 1, 2013. Contact Hopkins at James.P.Hopkins1@usmc.mil, Smith at Dale.M.Smith.ctr@ usmc.mil or Uecker at Scott.Uecker.ctr@usmc.mil to enroll today.