AU prepares to educate cross-culturally competent Airmen Published Feb. 19, 2009 By Carl Poteat Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Air University strives to increase cross-cultural competence among Airmen in preparation for a visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools March 2-4 to reaffirm their accreditation from 2004. A team of distinguished educators from the accreditation organization is set to pay special attention to the Air University's Quality Enhancement Plan, said Dr. Brian Selmeski, AU's Air Force Culture and Language Center Cross-Cultural Competence department chairman. The SACS visit is the "highest of academic inspections," according to Dr. Dot Reed, AU Academic Affairs and accreditation liaison chief. She said the university's enhancement plan is a major part of the reaffirmation. Failure to develop or implement an acceptable plan could result in loss of academic accreditation which would have an effect on Airman education. The plan's title, "Cross-Culturally Competent Airmen," commonly referred to as "3C," is the result of a deliberate process, Dr. Selmeski said. "It has never been done before," Dr. Selmeski said, referring to the effort to educate all military members to work effectively across cultures anywhere at anytime. "And that's what Air University's Quality Enhancement Plan is designed to do." The university's 3C program is one of three AU programs considered for presentation, including "warfighter development education" and "critical thinking leaders." Dr. Selmeski said 3C met the most of SACS' QEP characteristics. In the current environment of frequent deployments, Dr. Selmeski said, "We received feedback up from the bottom and down from the top," as both young enlisted members and senior leadership indicated a need for the type of culture preparation included in the enhancement plan. "How do you prepare for an expeditionary career when you don't know where the next crisis will be, or where you're going?" Dr. Selmeski said. "An Airman may be generating sorties in Kandahar tomorrow, running a convoy in Kirkuk next month and providing humanitarian assistance in Kenya the following year." He said the answer is the ability to quickly and accurately comprehend, then appropriately and effectively act in a culturally complex environment to achieve the desired effect. There are four elements to become cross-culturally competent, Dr. Selmeski said. The first is a body of culture-general knowledge that provides the intellectual framework. Second are communication, negotiation and interpersonal relationship abilities that "allow you to put this knowledge into practice." Third is a handful of positive attitudes that "help you learn, retain and act appropriately," and fourth is practice in "applying these general principles to specific cultural contexts." The initial 3C efforts, according to the enhancement plan, will start in the Community College of the Air Force, Officer Training School and the Squadron Officer College. Eventually 3C will touch most programs at Air University, Dr. Selmeski said. "No institution of the Air Force's size has systematically built 3C across its entire workforce over the course of a generation," Dr. Selmeski said. He said developing Airmen's cross-cultural competence will help them achieve mission success while reducing the potential consequences of operating in culturally complex environments. The university's enhancement plan is the "leading edge" of the newly established Air Force Culture and Language Center's efforts, Dr. Selmeski said. For more information about the QEP, visit www.au.af.mil/culture.