AFIT wins annual Cost Conscious Culture Award

  • Published
  • By 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The Department of Systems Engineering and Management (ENV) Team of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) won the Air University level C3 (Cost Conscious Culture) Team annual award by saving a total of $344,000 from January to December 2012 . During that year, the ENV Department eliminated redundancy between programs through the use of Program Realignment and Consolidation, while still fully servicing Air University education codes.

"This is a tremendous honor for the department and for AFIT," said Dr. Adedeji B. Badiru, the ENV department head. "We have taken proactive measures for a long time to find efficiencies, and this recognition speaks to our hard work." Examples of where the department cut costs included, offering core courses in-residence rather than using civilian institutions, saving $10,000 per year. The ENV department further demonstrated their ingenuity by performing in-house maintenance for instruments with expired warranties saving another $120,000 per year, as well as, acquiring and repairing laboratory instruments to save another $210,000.

ENV also made great efforts to save on the little things as well. Under the "green" initiative, they saved costs by digitizing disposable items such as course notebooks, the department newsletter and faculty profiles. Additionally, they saved $900 per year by using less toxic and less expensive solvents in the laboratory whenever possible. The department's ingenuity cut up to 60% in materials costs by buying in bulk. They also saved $3200 annually by reusing solvents, liquid nitrogen containers and buying items directly from manufacturers.

"These measures only happened because of the team effort from many people," Badiru continued. "We will continue to leverage opportunities wherever possible to make efficient and productive use of precious resources."

AFIT is the Air Force's graduate school of engineering and management as well as its institution for technical professional continuing education. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT is committed to providing defense-focused graduate and professional continuing education and research to sustain the technological supremacy of America's air and space forces.