Celebrating the U.S. Coast Guard’s birthday as a professor of its members
by Sam Khoury, PhD, Vice Provost for Graduate, Online Studies and Information Technology
When I heard the U.S. Coast Guard was celebrating its 229th birthday on August 4, I knew I had to take this opportunity to wish them well. Since 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard has protected American vessels, rescued lives and protected our waterways. For about two years now, I have had the privilege of advising and teaching about 50 Coast Guard personnel who are pursuing the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at Spring Hill College.
Although I have been in academia for more than 21 years, I am all too familiar with military life. I served in the Air Force for over 12 years as a Logistics Analyst. I remember working near the flight line as F-15s took off and landed all day, the temporary duties, the constant training and always preparing for the next headquarters inspection.
Being part of the Strategic Air Command was by no means easy. We had constant wartime drills, wore chemical gear for many hours at a time in the heat of the summer months and documented just about everything we did. We were organized, detailed and disciplined. We had regulations we abided by.
Life in the military is not for those who cannot follow directions. It isn’t for those that want an easy job where you work eight hours a day and go home. Most of all, it isn’t for those that do not like a challenge. Life in the military is the opposite of those things.
Despite the differences in the services, they all share one common thread: Those who choose a life in the military serve willingly. They know their lives will be different. They know they may be sent into harm’s way, yet they still serve willingly and often re-enlist. I am sure most people will agree, military service is not just a job — it is a way of life. It affects you in more ways than a traditional career would. You can’t just walk away like you can in other professions when you do not like the work environment. They are even accountable to their own justice system, the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Despite all of that, they continue to serve sometimes more than 20 years.
What makes them select this way of life?
For me, it was the challenge and the excitement of doing something I knew was difficult. I knew what I was getting into from the start, yet I enlisted for six years. After my initial enlistment, I re-enlisted again for two more terms. I loved what I did. The service made me who and what I am today — confident that I can handle just about anything thrown at me simply because I learned to do so in my military career. I adapted to the situation at hand and I gave every task the attention it deserved. This way of thinking and acting was entrenched in me starting in basic training when drill instructors screamed out orders and we followed them without question.
After I transitioned out of the service, I pursued a career in academia even though I knew nothing about what the culture was really like. Yet, I was not worried about standing in front of a class to teach others because I learned I can do that early on in my career. I was not worried about solving students’ problems, because I learned how to solve problems early on in my military career. I definitely was not worried about long hours preparing for classes, because I learned that is how you excel in anything you set out to do. These are the greatest lessons I learned as a result of my service.
Throughout my academic career, I have had a few military personnel in my classes from various branches of service. Most of the time, it was one or maybe two students at a time. I remember most of them, because they stood out as elite students. They were always prepared, completed their work before others and were extremely professional in everything they did. I enjoyed my interactions with these students. Their influence sometimes made me miss what I left behind in the Air Force to pursue a career in academia. They were not just coworkers — we were a close-knit community of professionals who happen to be drawn to military service.
In August 2016, I accepted a position at Spring Hill College, where I was fortunate to meet a Coast Guard educational officer. In an instant, I had the urge to craft an MBA program that addressed the needs of Coast Guard personnel. Their work schedules can change in a moment’s notice. They can deploy to another station at any time. They need a process to complete their degree from anywhere they are sent. It was obvious to me the program had to be fully online. It had to be accelerated where a student can complete the program in as little as 10 months, yet flexible enough to be completed at a much slower pace. I knew what it was like to serve and go to school at the same time, because I earned three college degrees while on active duty. It was not easy but I was committed.
As I gathered more information about the Coast Guard personnel in the Mobile, Alabama area, I became more motivated and anxious to launch the new program. Within my first year at Spring Hill, I unveiled the new online MBA program with a concentration in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. In the first semester, I had more than 20 Coast Guard personnel in the program. I had never worked with so many Coast Guard members in one place, so this was an excellent opportunity for me to interact with those that understood what life in the military was like. It also afforded me an opportunity to say thank you to the services for preparing me for life’s challenges.
Since the launch of the program in the fall of 2016, it has grown to more than 100 students from various Coast Guard stations as well as civilians from throughout the country. Overall, about half of the students in the program are active duty Coast Guard.
In my mind, they are the top students in the program. They are disciplined, motivated and professional. Each and every one of them has been an ideal student. It is a pleasure to have them in my classes and I am often amazed with their knowledge and expertise.
It is an honor to work with Coast Guard personnel as they achieve their educational goals and I hope you will join me in wishing them the very best as they celebrate their birthday.
Sam Khoury, PhD
Sam Khoury is currently the Vice Provost for Graduate, Online Studies and Information Technology at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a Logistics Analyst for 12 years and earned an Associate’s Degree in Logistics Management from the Community College of the Air Force, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Mount Olive College, a Master of General Administration from Central Michigan University and Doctorates in Organization and Management with a Computer Information Science concentration from Capella University. He has over 30 years of experience in information technology and logistics and is the former founder and president of SAMIR Systems, Inc., a privately-held computer consulting firm. He has published extensively in the areas of logistics, CIS, organization development, quality, management and automation of processes. He has also managed the development and implementation of numerous software systems. Furthermore, Khoury developed and taught in online programs since 1998 at six different colleges and universities.
