SAN ANGELO, Texas -- The president of Angelo State University and the commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center put ink to paper at a signing ceremony on the ASU campus April 12 to officially establish a partnership between the two entities that will provide for internships, research opportunities, and other collaborations.
This is the first Educational Partnership Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding the center has signed with a university in Texas.
“What we like about ASU is that it has degree programs that are compatible with our mission,” said Lt. Gen. Stacey Hawkins, AFSC commander. “We look to places where we can find untapped talent, not just technical talent and skills, but also those intangible skills such as strength of character and patriotism.”
AFSC’s air logistics complexes have established close to two dozen educational agreements with academia since 2019, traditionally for the purpose of cultivating science and engineering partnerships, but the addition of the center-level memorandum of understanding allows expansion into other areas of study such as human resources and business management.
“We want to be that provider of graduates that can go anywhere globally and have an impact, be successful and be significant,” said ASU President Ronnie Hawkins, Jr., no relation to Lt. Gen. Hawkins. “This is an innovative step we are taking.”
Through the program, ASU students will intern in propulsion, procurement, supply chain management, workforce development and several other areas. They may also participate in collaborative defense laboratory research projects with AFSC employees. Other opportunities for AFSC personnel may include developing ASU course material and teaching courses on campus.
After the signing, AFSC representatives toured the university’s Hunter Strain Engineering Labs, the Norris-Vincent College of Business, the Commercial Aviation Program facilities, and the Regional Security Operations Center, which provides cybersecurity support to local and state entities.
“It was important for us to make this trip to San Angelo today,” Lt. Gen. Hawkins said. “Hopefully it shows our passion and our commitment. We are looking for every single person who graduates from Angelo State University as someone we want to be a part of our team. We hope to inspire the Ram Fam to consider joining AFSC as a righteous career choice in service to the nation.”