Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)
The idea for a graduate education program for naval officers first emerged in the late 19th century but, initially, the concept found few advocates. With Marconi's invention of the "wireless" in 1901, the Wright brothers' flight in 1903, and the global trek of the steam-powered White Fleet from 1907 to 1909, belief that advanced education for U.S naval officers could be intrinsically valuable to the Navy gained support.
On June 9, 1909, less than four months after the completion of the record-setting world cruise of the Great White Fleet, Secretary of the Navy George von L. Meyer signed General Order No. 27, establishing a school of marine engineering at Annapolis.
This small program, consisting of 10 officer students and two Navy instructors, would later become today's Naval Postgraduate School. The Navy Secretary's order placed the fledgling school under the direction of the Naval Academy superintendent, who was charged with "securing ample use of the educational plant of the Naval Academy to students and instructors of the school without interfering with the instruction of midshipmen." This translated into two attic rooms being set aside for classroom and laboratory space for the school.
Within three years, Meyer agreed to a proposal to change the school. On October 31, 1912, he signed Navy General Order No. 233, which renamed the school the Postgraduate Department of the Naval Academy. The order established courses of study in ordnance and gunnery, electrical engineering radio telegraphy, naval construction, and civil engineering as well as continuing the original program in marine engineering. With the additional curricula, enrollment increased to 25.
The Naval Postgraduate School Moves to Monterey: 1942 – Present
Before World War II one of the finest luxury hotels in North America, the Hotel Del Monte, occupied the present site of the Naval Postgraduate School. From the time railroad pioneer Charles Crocker first opened the hotel in June 1880, it was an immediate success. Fire completely destroyed the hotel in 1887, but the second Hotel Del Monte rose promptly at the same location and was more splendid than its predecessor. In the early morning of September 27, 1924, fire again devastated the central wooden structure of the hotel. Reconstruction was again immediate and the more modern building continued to make the Del Monte one of the showplaces of the world.
By this time, Samuel F.B. Morse, the president of the Del Monte Properties Company, had acquired the hotel and began developing the Del Monte as a “sports empire” where guests could enjoy playing golf, polo, tennis, swimming, yachting and deep-sea fishing. Coined “the most elegant seaside resort in the world,” the hotel played host to world leaders, dignitaries, American presidents, film stars and famous artists until 1942, when it was taken over by the U.S. Navy and used as a pre-flight school for aviators.
During World War II, Fleet Admiral Ernest King, chief of naval operations and commander-in-chief of both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, established a commission to review the role of graduate education in the Navy. By the end of the war, it had become apparent that the facilities of the Naval Postgraduate School at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, would be insufficient for the Navy’s future needs. In 1945, Congress passed legislation to make the school a fully-accredited, degree-granting graduate institution. Two years later, Congress authorized the purchase of the Hotel Del Monte and 627 acres of surrounding land for use as an independent campus for the school.
In December 1951, in a move virtually unparalleled in the history of academe, the Postgraduate School moved lock, stock and wind tunnel across the nation, establishing its current campus in Monterey, Calif. The coast-to-coast move involved 500 students, about 100 faculty and staff and thousands of pounds of books and research equipment. Rear Adm. Ernest Edward Herrmann supervised the move that pumped new vitality into the Navy's efforts to advance naval science and technology.
The main building of the former Hotel Del Monte - now named Herrmann Hall - houses the principal administrative offices of the Naval Postgraduate School. The academic quadrangle was built incrementally after the school officially opened for business in 1951. The most recent additions include the renovation of the library (more than doubling its usable space), the new academic building - Glasgow Hall, and the new Mechanical Engineering Building. In 2006, a $35 million renovation of the two wings of Herrmann Hall was completed, providing 140 new Bachelor Officers’ Quarters (BOQ) rooms for the school’s international officers and their families for temporary residency while they establish themselves in permanent living facilities. In 2009, the year the Naval Postgraduate School celebrates its centennial anniversary, Herrmann Hall will begin a series of renovations and refurbishments, restoring the building’s early 20th century charm in a tribute to its historic past.
The Naval Postgraduate School offers graduate programs, both on and off campus, through four graduate schools:
Graduate School of Business and Public Policy (GSBPP)
Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (GSEAS)
Graduate School of Operational and Information Sciences (GSOIS)
School of International Graduate Studies (SIGS)
The Graduate School of Business and Public Policy (GSBPP) at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) offers world-class education programs and professional development opportunities in defense management and public policy to US and allied military officers, defense civilians and defense contractors. The academic and research programs promote national security and support the DON/DOD by developing intellectual leadership in a broad range of topics in defense management.
The School of Engineering and Applied Science (GSEAS) has been the bedrock of the Naval Postgraduate School since its establishment as the School of Marine Engineering at Annapolis in 1909 and its expansion in 1912 Today, GSEAS includes seven departments (Applied Mathematics, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Meteorology, Oceanography, Physics, and Systems Engineering) and two academic groups (Space Systems and Undersea Warfare). Applying best practices and state-of-the art advances in science and engineering, GSEAS is at the forefront of research that addresses Navy and DoD needs, with a mission to increase the technical capability of the Navy and United States military forces.
The Graduate School of Operational and Information Sciences (GSOIS) prepares future senior military leaders to succeed in an uncertain, rapidly changing, and information intensive environment through research and educational programs.
The School of International Graduate Studies (SIGS) conducts research and offers various education opportunities in international security studies. Programs seek to identify and address current and emerging security challenges and strengthen multilateral and bilateral defense cooperation between the United States and other nations.
In addition to masters and doctoral degree program, SIGS offers a wide range of in-residence, non-degree short courses as well as off-site short courses and senior executive seminars. These topical courses provide senior leaders with a concise, academically grounded understanding of matters related to regional security threats, defense resources management, defense transformation, and combating terrorism.
SIGS offers a masters and doctoral degree program in security studies. The in-residence program is specifically designed for military officers, while the executive program is offered in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security National Preparedness Directorate and is open to local, state, federal, and tribal officials and NORTHCOM-sponsored officers.
(Link: http://www.nps.edu/About/NPSHistory/History.html)