ALCOAST 218/17 - JUL 2017 COAST GUARD INSTITUTE - 88 YEARS OF SERVICE

R 141345 JUL 17
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//FC-C//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS//N04500//
ALCOAST 218/17
COMDTNOTE 4500
SUBJ:  COAST GUARD INSTITUTE - 88 YEARS OF SERVICE
1. On 14 Jul 2017, after 88 years of faithful service to our nation, the Coast
Guard (CG) Institute was disestablished. Throughout her service, the CG
Institute consistently excelled at carrying out her mission: to provide the
clearest path to the next highest pay grade or education level.
2. The only unit of its kind for over eight decades, the CG institute had a
positive impact on all members of the Coast Guard by providing vital
professional and personal growth opportunities to our workforce. During its
history, the CG Institute moved and was reorganized twice. In 1928, several CG
members worked at the Marine Corps Institute in Washington D.C., to allow the
CG staff to learn the Marine Corps’ method of conducting correspondence course
education. Through that partnership, the CG Institute modeled its structure
after their program.
3. Then, on May 6, 1929, all CG personnel associated with educational work
reported for duty at the CG Institute’s first home at Fort Trumbull, in New
London, CT, where it remained for 13 years. The CG Institute then moved across
the Thames River in 1942, to the Coast Guard’s newly commissioned training
station at Avery Point, CT. When the training facility closed down in 1967,
the CG Institute moved to its third, current and final location, in Oklahoma
City, OK to take advantage of the Federal Aviation Administration’s state-of-
the-art computer system, and has been located at the Mike Monroney
Aeronautical Center (MMAC) ever since. 
4. The CG Institute hosted all functions related to advancements until 1988,
including correspondence course and ServiceWide exam writing, course material
production and distribution, along with Chief Warrant Officer selection exams.
In 1988, it was decided that subject matter experts and course writers
representing each enlisted rating were to be transferred to their respective
training centers that provided formal instruction in each rating. Since then,
the CG Institute has been responsible for producing, distributing and scoring
end of course tests (EOCTs), most recently called Rating Advancement Tests
(RATs), prepared by the various training centers, until the RAT was suspended,
indefinitely.
5. There have been many changes over the years, including the start of the
tuition assistance (TA) program in 1995. Since then, the TA division has
distributed $215M dollars for over 130K students who completed over 381K
courses through a myriad number of schools around the world. The Institute
also manages the CG Foundation Education Grant & Vander Putten Education Grant
programs to help reimburse for education expenses not covered by TA.
Currently, on an annual basis, the CG Institute generates around 6,000 Joint
Service Transcript (JST) updates, 5,100 educational degree corrections in
Direct Access and ensures qualification exam scores are uploaded into Direct
Access for about 5,600 Coast Guard members which help facilitate operational
readiness.
6. As of 14Jul, the Institute will officially be merged with the Training
Quota Management Center (TQC), IAW OFCO 001-17. All traditional Institute
services will continue without interruption, but will now fall under the
control of the new Education and Training Quota Management Command (ETQC), in
Chesapeake, VA.
7. To the current and past CG Institute crews & plank owners: Job well done!
Throughout 88 years of service, the CG Institute and her crews admirably
served the Coast Guard and the Nation. Congratulations and Bravo Zulu.
8. RDML Keith Smith, FORCECOM Commander, sends
9. Internet release is authorized.