Attachment 1 SOO.pdf

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES (SOO)

Project: United States Space Force (USSF) In-residence Intermediate Developmental

Education (IDE) and Senior Developmental Education (SDE)

1.0 Purpose: Collaborate with the USSF, Space Training and Readiness Command

(STARCOM) Delta 13, to provide a graduate program for mid-level and senior military and civilian personnel.

2.0 Scope or Mission: Provide a 10-month in-residence graduate degree at a civilian university that will include a combination of existing university graduate-level courses and courses designed and taught by USSF instructors in accordance with Joint Professional Military

Education (JPME) requirements. University will provide facilities, logistics, and appropriate support.

3.0 Period of Performance: This will be a ten-year contract with 1 approximately 9 to 11-month base period for transition, and 9 one-year option periods (2022 – 2032).

4.0 Background: As a new service, the USSF is seeking to create a graduate program that addresses USSF and JPME requirements. The USSF will partner with an established, prestigious, and institutionally accredited university. The USSF intends to leverage the unique capabilities of the USSF faculty to create and deliver space-focused curricula within the academic atmosphere and infrastructure of the civilian university.

5.0 Performance Objectives:

5.1 Provide a Master of Arts (MA) degree with a concentration/track specifically tailored to

USSF needs and offered only to USSF-sponsored students. Degree must conform to the accreditation of the university. The USSF desires a way to annotate this degree with a concentration/track of Space Studies to be displayed on transcripts, if possible.

5.1.1 USSF estimates 80 (min 65, max 85) USSF-sponsored students per year, and the degree must be offered starting the 2023-2024 academic school year. USSF will provide USSF faculty who must have access to university classrooms and offices 60 days prior to the start of the 2023-

2024 academic school year.

5.1.2 USSF will partner with the university for admission standards, but only the USSF may submit students for admission consideration to this track. USSF will control admission process to the maximum extent practicable by accreditation standards. These students will not be required in the standard process to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) standardized test.

5.1.3 Tuition and fees for all USSF-sponsored students will be paid for by this contract. Fees will include items such as internet/technology and facilities but shall not include items such as healthcare fees and meal plan charges. University scholarships shall not apply to USSF-sponsored students.

5.1.4 USSF faculty shall receive Visiting Scholar/Fellow in addition to Adjunct Lecturer appointment, at a minimum. If allowed by university policy, Adjunct/Visiting Professor appointment would be ideal titles if commensurate with the accomplishments of individual faculty members.

5.2 University must meet the following facility requirements.

5.2.1 Provide the following areas that USSF has priority scheduling for use:

- 6 furnished classrooms capable of seating 18 people with audio/video/power connections

- 1 furnished auditorium/classroom capable of seating 80-100 people with audio/video/power connections; for this space, USSF will control scheduling but when not in use can be available for university other events

- 18-22 furnished USSF faculty offices; offices can be a combination of single or shared offices or cubicles

5.2.2 Provide as-needed access to additional collaboration space(s) and additional auditoriums/classrooms capable of seating 30-40 people.

5.2.3 Provide access to a physical and online university library suitable for research in specialized areas relevant to course materials/topics for the graduate program.

5.2.4 The USSF shall be provided access to a classified lab for research collaboration (minimum

TS/SCI). The preference is that the lab be part of a University Affiliated Research Center

(UARC) or Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC).

- Minimum requirement: Access to a classified research lab.

5.3 Provide capable, reliable electronic information systems/software for the following:

- Learning management system

- Student information system

- Institutional management system

- Cloud-based collaboration software

5.3.1 Provide USSF access to student information system(s) for review of USSF-sponsored student registrations, grading, and all student information on file. Options for exporting an electronic file with student information is desired.

5.3.2 Provide USSF-sponsored students/faculty with university .edu email accounts and access to all university provided tools/software typically accessible.

5.3.3 Provide access to high-speed internet in all university facilities.

5.3.4 Provide IT support in real-time for issues in classrooms and responsive help desk support for USSF faculty/students.

5.4 Curricula will be developed as a partnership between the USSF and the university. Curricula will be comprised of both USSF/JPME core courses and elective courses.

5.4.1 The intention is for the USSF to design and teach the USSF/JPME core courses. USSF-designed core courses are estimated to be 50% of the curriculum, but this number could fluctuate year to year depending on courses already offered by the university or USSF emerging requirements. USSF/JPME core courses shall only be open to USSF-sponsored students.

5.4.2. Elective courses will be a combination of existing university courses and electives designed and taught by USSF faculty. USSF-led electives will not exceed one course per USSF faculty member per academic year without coordination and university approval. USSF faculty led electives will be open to all qualified university graduate students, but USSF-sponsored students shall have priority for registration purposes.

5.4.3 University elective courses shall include space-oriented Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses for qualified USSF-sponsored students. Other elective courses are anticipated to include areas of national security, international security, strategy, military and diplomatic history, public policy, and cyber. These are intended to be existing in-resident courses offered by the university to their existing students. Online or virtual courses will not satisfy this requirement. USSF-sponsored students will register for these electives using standard university policy along with other university students.

- Minimum requirement: student to teacher ratio of 18:1.

- Minimum requirement: 8 total space-related STEM electives AND 12 total electives from at least half of the other non-STEM buckets detailed in the SOO (national security, international security, strategy, military and diplomatic history, public policy, and cyber), the preference is for more than 12 total electives in at least half of the other non-

STEM buckets.

5.4.4 Research conducted at labs referenced in para 5.2.4 shall be granted credit in accordance with university policy.

5.5 Services available to USSF-sponsored students/faculty will align with offerings made to typical student/faculty population to include the following if available:

- ID cards

- Cafeterias

- Recreational facilities

- Parking

- Registrar and other administrative staff offices/personnel

- Reference librarian services (Minimum requirement: Services provided on-site)

- Faculty access to facilities/offices after normal business hours

6.0 Deliverables / Schedule:

6.1 The USSF desires to receive data in digital form from the university regarding USSF-sponsored student registration, grades, courses, and research once a semester or on an ad hoc basis when requested.

6.2 Phase-in transition plan due within 30-days of award to include: facility availability, facility locations, IT services, admissions/registration process, draft elective course offerings, and student/faculty services.

Operating Constraints:

7.1 University shall have, and maintain for the duration of the contract, a Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education R1 designation.

7.2 University education facilities must be within 50 miles of the Pentagon to include classrooms, library, and offices for USSF faculty. A satellite campus is an acceptable solution if it meets the minimum requirements in this SOO.

7.3 Research lab must be within Continental United States (CONUS).