Demand exceeds capacity.

The school has 29 classes now. Some students are sent to multiple courses.

The daily student load is 450 to 500 with about 3,000 graduates a year.

The school reaches out to about 1,000 students in mobile training (60% in visual information and the remaining in public affairs.

The distinction between visual and public affairs is becoming blurrier.

There will be 30 reductions in staff with 25 private contracts in effect. There are 283 full time faculty and staff.

AFIS provides resources and oversight.

Technology is changing from analog to digital. Most film used now is digital.

Public Affairs has gone through significant changes and is becoming an effective communication method with troops. Everyone here remembers PA as nice to have, but more and more commanders are using it as an integral part of their duties.

Military missions are changing as the Army has become expeditionary, thereby placing greater demands on our colleagues in the field and more demands on issues.

Phase I of DIINFOS was to organize three separate schools that were related and together, thus creating a new institution working as a cohesive unit. Colonel Ron Grubb deserves a medal for bringing the schools to Ft. Meade without missing a day of training.

Phase II was accomplished by Colonel Larry Icenogle. The schools had three distinct identities. His efforts caused the schools to work together cooperatively. Colonel Icenogle eliminated some of the warfare between the schools which are now working together under the same umbrella.

Phase III is marching the school into the future and will continue with several Commandants hence. The school has already changed significantly.

It is fully understood that the services are the school’s primary customers who employ our graduates because of their training. People can’t believe what we do at the school. We have to meet customers’ needs, and we are different from a civilian institution. We must be of maximum value to our customers, and we have to do it faster, better and cheaper.

In the near future, we envision that DINFOS will serve as a public Affairs information center. Advanced training will be required with resources to do it.

We offer resident training along with distance learning. We will soon offer as much in distance learning as resident training. We are now working to train PAOC (RC) through distance learning with the same number of faculty. To meet needs, we will have to do our training differently. We will create a Lessons Learned Component to record our training venture with distance learning.

The school is involved in participating in a Joint Public Affairs Doctrinal Manual. If we are going to maintain our identity, we will have to do other things besides teaching courses in residence. An effort is underway to get PAO Distance Learning up to speed. We are developing technology to help with remedial writing and speaking. D1NFOS will become a career-long, professional development center available to our customers to which the Alumni Association will have a linkage.

When thinking about the future of the school, we realize the importance of the Alumni Association. It is strategic in what it can do on behalf of the students. The Alumni Association will have a vital role in this challenge. Our goal is to reestablish an Alumni Association at Ft. Meade. I will have to get a local volunteer group to kick off the alumni organization. I received advice from the Army War College on how they met this challenge with their Alumni Association.

Despite all that is happening, the future of DINFOS is bright. The new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs is very supportive. The excellent reputation of the school is based on “super” people. DINFOS is very healthy with the best training facility in the Department of Defense.

There are now more than 90 organizations and businesses on Ft. Harrison

Ft. Harrison has over 600 residents.

The original porches on Lawton Loop are being restored.

Building 400 has been renovated and dedicated as the Teddy Roosevelt Building. The Commandant’s Office is now a pizza place. Employees from Building #1 have temporary offices in Bldg. #400. Hopes are to keep Bldg. #400 as an educational building. Ivy Tech now occupies 10,000 feet.

The old Headquarters Building will become a bed and breakfast boutique with a restaurant and bar. It will open in the year 2002.

The huge soccer complex is a key to what is being done. It has hosted the top 48 soccer teams m the country with Snickers as sponsor.

The first of August, 56th Street east will be opened and will service the east side of the community.

Lee Road will reopen by the start of school along with a new Fire and Science School.

German Church Road will expand.