United States Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers in the United States Air Force. The campus is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Upon completion of the four-year program, graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are normally commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the United States Air Force. (A small number of graduates "cross-commission" into other services each year, and a few foreign cadets and graduates who are not medically qualified will receive a degree but will not be commissioned.)

Campus and facilities

The current campus of the Academy covers 18,000 acres (73 km²) on the east side of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains, just north of Colorado Springs at an altitude of 7,258 feet (2,212 m) above sea-level.

Related Topics:
Rocky Mountains - Colorado Springs

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A cadet's life is focused on the main buildings in the Cadet Area:

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• Fairchild Hall, the cadet academic building, named after General Muir S. Fairchild, the first commander of Air University and later Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
• Vandenberg Hall, a cadet dormitory named after Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenberg
• Sijan Hall, a cadet dormitory named after Captain Lance P. Sijan, the first USAFA graduate to win the Medal of Honor
• Mitchell Hall, the cadet dining facility, named after General William "Billy" Mitchell
• Arnold Hall, the cadet social center, named after General of the Air Force Henry H. "Hap" Arnold
• Harmon Hall, the administration building, named after General Hubert R. Harmon, the first Superintendent of the Academy
• The Aeronautics Laboratory
• The Cadet Gymnasium
• The Cadet Fieldhouse
• The Cadet Chapel, considered by many to be among the most aesthetically beautiful buildings on the Academy campus, and among the most beautiful of American academic architecture. The Cadet Chapel contains separate chapels for Protestant, Catholic and Jewish worship, as well as interfaith rooms for cadets of other religions.

Some other notable locations on the campus include:

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• Doolittle Hall, the headquarters of the USAFA Association of Graduates that also serves as the reception point for new cadets arriving for Basic Cadet Training, named after General Jimmy Doolittle
• The Barry Goldwater Visitors Center, the focal point for family, friends and tourists visiting the Academy grounds, named after United States Senator Barry Goldwater
• Falcon Stadium, home of Air Force Academy football, and the site of the graduation ceremonies for each year's graduating class.
• The Academy Airfield, used for training cadets in airmanship courses
• The United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School.