Political Science Professor Is Teaching at the USAF Academy

Who knows if Political Science Professor Jeff Koch was humming, “Off we go, into the wild blue yonder,” on July 5 — but it’s understandable if the U.S. Air Force (USAF) melody stuck in his mind. That’s the day he began orientation and training at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs for his one-year appointment as Distinguished Visiting Professor of political science.

“This will be an adventure into the unknown, and that’s what makes it interesting,” Koch said while wrapping up his last weeks on campus earlier this summer. He discovered the announcement in a professional newsletter and applied for a special leave from Geneseo to pursue the opportunity.

Though his wife, Andrea, served in the USAF Reserve, Koch doesn’t bring a military background to his new position. He considers that advantageous on two fronts: His civilian appointment helps fulfill USAF needs by balancing the Academy’s culture (roughly 35% of the faculty are civilians), and it enhances the overall experience he hopes to gain.

“Certainly, I have my preconceptions about what it’s like to teach cadets and work in a military academy, but I’ve not done either,” he said at the time. “In some ways the USAF Academy will be similar to other colleges, and in some ways it won’t. There’s a lot I don’t know.”

Fast-forward to today, where Koch is already more than a quarter through the first semester. He’s teaching Data Analysis and Statistics (a social science research methods course virtually the same as his Geneseo syllabus) to third-year cadets majoring in political science. Next spring, he’ll teach Introduction to American Government — required of all first-year cadets — but will use the USAF Academy syllabus because the course focuses more on U.S. foreign policy, defense policy and politics. He will also teach a capstone course, Economic Inequality and American Democracy, which he has taught at Geneseo.

So what’s different from Geneseo?

Students, he said, “march into class, stand at attention and wait for the session marcher to announce, ‘Cadets ready to learn, SIR!’ And then I tell them to take their seats.”

Then there’s the intensity. USAF cadets have incredibly demanding schedules. They rise early. They take five classes plus physical education every semester. They must participate in some kind of athletics — whether Division 1 football or ultimate Frisbee — and complete military training, which can be flying a plane or operating a drone. They are graded on it all — academics, athletics and military training. They can leave the base only a few times a semester, and during summer, there’s no time off: They have to work for the U.S. Air Force or be involved in some program or activity offered by the Academy.

Yet, in other ways, they’re like any other 20-year old student. “There’s a range of motivation and abilities just as you’d find anywhere else,” Koch noted.

The physical campus is different from Geneseo as well. “The campus area is huge — 19,000 acres — and I have a stunning view of the cadet chapel and the mountains from my office,” Koch said. “You have to go four or five miles to get off campus; there are no restaurants, stores or bars in close proximity. It’s a very defined space.”

Not surprisingly, the U.S. military emphasizes considerable teambuilding and leadership, which is part of the appeal for Koch. He is especially interested in learning how the experience will enrich and enhance his teaching at Geneseo.

“Working in another culture allows you to think outside the box,” he said. “It’s not always the case that it translates easily into your old culture or class, but I hope to gain insights into teamwork and leadership management that I can bring back to campus.”

This isn’t the first time Koch and his family have temporarily left Geneseo; they lived in Shanghai in 2002-2003 while he completed a Fulbright Fellowship at East China Normal University.

Still, there is “some getting used to” the ways of the USAF Academy. For example, he is among the minority as a Distinguished Teaching Professor wearing civilian clothes; and seeing F16 fighter jets fly over campus. Not to mention the security that comes with working at the military academy — located close to two USAF bases and the U.S. Northern Command — and also living in military housing.

“I have military clearance and have to use my card for everything,” he explained. “Computer log-in, building access — even going home, to get past the gate house guarded by armed personnel. It takes some getting used to, but it’s starting to feel like ‘the new normal’ for me.”

Koch joined the Geneseo faculty in 1989. He plans to return to campus next year.

• — by Tony Hoppa