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The International Military Student Officer team at the Air Force Institute of Technology won the first-ever Air Force IMSO Team of the Year Award for calendar year 2006. AFIT won in the “Small Activities Base” category. AFIT’s award, along with the one for the “Large Base Activities” category, was presented by the Air Education and Training Command Director of International Training and Education, Gerald Hust (a member of the Senior Executive Service), and the Air Force Security Assistance Training Squadron Commander, Col. David Snodgrass, at the Air Force IMSO Conference, held 22-24 May at Randolph AFB, Texas.

Winners of the IMSO Team of the Year Award were selected based on four categories: job performance and support to the international student, educating staff and support personnel, innovation and initiative in implementing the field studies program, and effectiveness when managing issues facing IMS and dependents.

The accomplishments of the AFIT IMSO team for 2006 included:

• Contributing to the Dean of Students AETC/IG Excellent rating by “seamlessly integrating international officers into the student population”
• Creating a monthly newsletter to keep international students abreast of local culture, activities, and information
• Working aggressively with Security Assistance Offices to increase international student enrollment, with staggering results—24 new international officers arrived in August 2006, a 160 percent increase from the previous year
• Working closely with student academic advisors to bridge the gap on cultural and communication differences
• Publishing an International Student Guidebook that provides information to students and their families
• Pushing through an initiative—which was approved by AFIT, Air Command and Staff College, and Air University Commanders—to make the Intermediate Developmental Education graduate education program available to international students
• Partnering with Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management instructors to brief students on the American political process prior to the November elections
• Responding to spouse requests for English language training by partnering them with local English professors

Says Julie Fleming, USAF Field Studies Program Manager and Chief, USAF IMSO, “AFSAT wanted to be able to recognize the tremendous amount of work the IMSOs do on a daily basis. We realize it can be a thankless job at times and since we are unable to give awards to all IMSOs, we decided to develop specific criteria and form a committee to vote for the top two IMSOs of the year, for a large and small activities base.”

Much of what the office does, though, lasts far beyond the span of one calendar year. For example, the AETC/IG also said AFIT’s IMSO office “established a vibrant sponsorship program to keep international students and their families active with their sponsor during the entire AFIT experience—building permanent and tangible relationships.” Perhaps most telling, however, is that “students have nothing but rave reviews for AFIT’s IMSO office, which serves as their best recruiting tool.”

Congratulations to AFIT’s IMSO team!