US News & World Report has named the US Air Force Academy the best baccalaureate college in the western region of the US for the third year in a row in its “America’s Best Colleges” 2010 rankings. The academy also tied for having the sixth best undergraduate engineering program overall in the country, including placing second in aeronautical and astronautical engineering; second in electrical, electronic, and communications engineering; and second in mechanical engineering. “We are very proud of the rankings that we have received. These national public rankings are indeed a source of pride,” said Brig. Gen. Dana Born, USAFA’s dean of faculty, in a release Aug. 20. USN&WR evaluated universities that offer only undergraduate degrees and based its criteria on factors such as student-faculty ratio, percentage of full-time faculty, acceptance rate, class size, and freshman retention rates. (USN&WR rankings)
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.