Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Alexander Gamble | U.S. Coast Guard Operations Specialist 2nd Class Petty Officer Merrill Magowan, of...... read more read more
SAN FRANCISCO — On February 7, an important moment occurred in the history of the United States Naval Community College, which had just recently surpassed its final pilot phase and entered Initial Operating Capability. During that drizzly morning near the Pacific west coast of northern California, uniformed military service members made their way across the grounds of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. The Coast Guardsmen marched upstairs and filed into a room on the second floor of Building 2, which has stood there since World War I.
USCG Captain Jordan M. Baldueza, deputy commander of Sector San Francisco, began the morning by calling the room to attention, with each attendee rising for morning colors. After the standard formalities, the commander of Sector San Francisco Captain Taylor Q. Lam initiated the all hands meeting, which included a command recognition ceremony highlighting the exemplary contributions of a few of its members. Lam then directed his attention to several special guests in the audience.
Leadership and personnel from USNCC, which serves enlisted Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen around the world, traveled from Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Randi Cosentino, Ed.D, president; Navy Command Master Chief Jordan Rosado, command senior enlisted leader; and Navy Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Xander Gamble were present along with USCG officials Christopher Cruz, deputy chief, Career Investment Division; Stephen Keck, chief, Career Investment Division; and Coast Guard Senior Chief Yeoman Stacy Reid.
Lam invited Cosentino to address the floor, and she provided a brief overview of the institution and its mission to advance warfighting advantage and enhance operational readiness by providing world-class, naval-relevant education to a globally-deployed force.
She then called Coast Guard Operations Specialist Second Class Petty Officer Merrill Magowan to the front of the room, as she was joined by the other USNCC and USCG leaders. Cosentino presented Magowan with an institutional plank owner's certificate as well as a letter of commendation for “outstanding dedication and commitment to excellence, ... embod[ying] the epitome of readiness and ambition, and demonstrat[ing] unwavering dedication and proficiency by holding the distinction of being the inaugural first graduate of the United States Naval Community College, and obtaining a GPA of 3.9.”
Following the award presentation, the Coast Guardsman of the hour sat down with USNCC staff to discuss his achievement. “It feels great to finally graduate, achieve this milestone, [and] continue my education,” said Magowan, who grew up in the Bay area.
Magowan, from Half Moon Bay, California, earned his Associate of Arts in Military Studies through fully-funded online classes at USNCC partner institution Arizona State University. He had pursued some undergraduate coursework prior to his Coast Guard service, and remarked about his USNCC educational experience, “ ... I am glad that I ended up in the path [to] studying Military Studies because of its relevance to my job.”
The military studies degree offers enlisted service members with an opportunity for in-depth learning about joint military operations and their important role in the larger international geopolitical landscape. The program’s academic subjects include American foreign policy, foreign history, political science, and world religions, in addition to USNCC Naval Studies Certificate topics such as naval leadership, history, ethics, and force design.
“The Naval Studies Certificate was definitely a good foundation and built a lot of core learning skills to understand how my education integrates with my job, my career, and the ... objectives of the Coast Guard,” said Magowan. “Generally, it helped to understand how my position ... relates to the bigger picture of the Coast Guard’s relationship within the national defense framework and our relationship with the other sea services ...”
Coast Guard Operations Specialist Second Class Petty Officer Merrill Magowan among other seated attendees of Sector San Francisco all hands meeting.
Magowan shared that the program's comprehensive capstone course along with the entirety of the curriculum have enabled him to connect and apply critical lessons to his military career, which points to a compelling sense of purpose. As he wrote in one of multiple essays published by the U.S. Naval Institute over the past two years: “I had friends who experienced emergencies at sea, and hearing their stories of being saved by the Coast Guard is why I enlisted. Assisting those in need is why I put on my uniform each day and am proud to serve.”
USNCC aims to support a more agile and innovative force by enhancing enlisted members with the intellectual dynamism and creativity needed to maintain our strategic advantage in the maritime environment. Magowan believes the program led him to develop solid frameworks and ways of thinking that facilitate solution-centered problem-solving and improve his ability to effectively contribute to team success moving forward.
“United States Naval Community College was established in 2019 by the Secretary of the Navy to prioritize and invest in naval-relevant enlisted education and build a continuum of lifelong learning that develops leaders to serve at every level,” says Cosentino. “I am so proud of this milestone that Petty Officer Merrill Magowan has marked as part of his career and life journey, and what it means for the naval forces and the legacy of this institution.”
She continues, “This is the opening chapter of many breakthroughs to come, and we are excited for the new horizons awaiting Magowan and all of our students as they boldly step into a future of limitless potential."
More than 3,500 other students in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are currently pursuing a degree with USNCC and its partners. Areas of study include organizational leadership, military studies, nuclear engineering technology, logistics, aviation maintenance technology, uncrewed systems, cybersecurity, and data analytics. USNCC is also developing several degree programs that are coming soon, including engineering, emergency management, and health sciences.
United States Naval Community College is the official community college for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. To get more information about the USNCC, please visit www.usncc.edu.
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2024 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 464639 |
| Location: | SAN FRANCISCO, CA, US |
| Hometown: | HALF MOON BAY, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Breaking Ground: Coast Guard Student Receives 1st-Ever USNCC Associate Degree, by SCPO Alexander Gamble and Shanessa Jackson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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