Happy New Year USU 

In This Issue 

Letter from the President..............2 

Visit with Deployed Alumni.........2 

NSPS.....................................................3 

USU-Tube Contest...........................3 

USU Briefs..........................................3 

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 7, 2008 WWW.USUHS.MIL 

USU Newsletter 
 

Carol R. Scheman 

Vice President for 

External Affairs and 

Managing Editor 

Tech. Sgt. 

André Nicholson 

Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist Third Class 

Jeffrey Hopkins 

Assistant Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist 

Seaman 

Raul Zamora 

Assistant Editor 

 

Marla Wright 

Webmaster 

Publishing 

USU Duplicating Office

Production: 

Editorial content is 

edited, prepared and 

provided by the USU 

Office of External Affairs unless otherwise 

indicated. The Newsletter staff may include 

or exclude articles 

based upon news 

value, impact on the 

university and space 

availability. 

Submissions: 

The USU Newsletter 

will be published biweekly on Mondays 

and deadline for submission is Friday at 4 

p.m. Submissions can 

be sent to usunewsletter@usuhs.mil or call 

301-295-3925. 

PAGE 2 

 My best wishes to all 

the USU community for a 

happy, healthy and productive New Year. 

 It is an extraordinarily 

challenging and exciting 

time for health professions education and research and especially in 

the uniformed services. 

We stand at the forefront 

of advances in health 

care as we learn more 

about caring for our 

wounded troops and 

learning how to prevent 

both injury and disease. The new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center will be transformative 

for the Military Health System it will create new and 

critical opportunities for us to collaborate with 

other federal agencies and especially the NI; and 

this 21st century health care facility will position 

USU as a new model of academic health center for 

the nation. I look forward to working with all of 

you to tell our story to the nation and the world. It 

is both a privilege and an obligation to let others 

know about this remarkable university: its people 

and its mission. 

 In December I had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Germany and Afghanistan with 

one of our alumni, BG Byron C. Hepburn, Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air 

Mobility Command, a 1987 graduate of the university’s School of 

Medicine and Col Carl B. Funke, 

CENTAF Surgeon, a 1985 USU 

graduate. 

 I spent a few days in Germany 

meeting with alumni and others 

stationed at Ramstein Air Base and 

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center before proceeding to Afghanistan. We toured several U.S. medical facilities and visited an Afghan 

provincial hospital at Charikar 

where, among other things, we 

discussed local needs and how 

the university could best provide 

assistance. I also used this occasion to give university sweatshirts 

to graduates, including two 

alumni from USU’s Graduate 

School of Nursing, and to recruit 

prospective students from among 

U.S. military personnel. I suspect 

USU is the only U.S. academic 

health center to hold an alumni 

reunion in an active combat zone. 

 While at Bagram Air Base I was also able to visit 

a number of the patients, both U.S. and Afghani, 

who have been treated by USU alumni, including a 

three year old girl who almost lost her life from 

injuries suffered during a bomb blast. Four graduates at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital there - Col 

Gary Arishita (’86), Lt Col Randy McCafferty (’93), 

Maj Chetan Kharod (’96), and Maj Charles Reilly 

(’97) -- were responsible for performing the lifesaving surgery. 

 I was so impressed with the energy and leadership of the Task Force Medical Commander at Bagram, Col Bart Iddins, that I assumed he was a USU 

alum. It turns out he's a Texas Aggie - so I made 

him an honorary USU alum. 

 I was deeply moved by the dedication of our 

troops and the work of all our nation’s deployed 

personnel and was also struck by their own view of 

their mission: the motto of one of the air evacuation squadrons is, “We’re not heroes---we just bring 

them home.” 

 I returned home with a profound appreciation 

of our medical personnel and am especially proud 

of the service of USU alumni in-theater. It is extraordinary to witness the courage and commitment of 

these men and women as they use the skills and 

knowledge they have accumulated to care for 

those in harm’s way. 

 

 Charles L. Rice 

 USU President

Letter from the 

USU President 

Dr. Charles L. Rice 

Cover Illustration by 

MCSN Raul Zamora 

USU Newsletter 

Editorial Staff 

Dr. Charles L. Rice, USU President (far right), and BG Byron Hepburn, 

USAF, MC, Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, (‘87) (second from the right), visit Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. They were joined by Col Becky Brown, USAF (far left), Col 

Bryan Funke, USAF, MC, (’85) and Col Gary Walker, USAF, MC (’84). 

Courtesy Photo 
PAGE 3 

 General Schedule (GS) personnel at the Uniformed Services 

University of the Health Sciences will switch over to the National 

Security Personnel System (NSPS) Feb. 3, 2008. 

 The NSPS was designed to provide a more performance based 

system of hiring, pay and evaluation; it places more emphasis on 

pay for noteworthy performance and less on seniority. One of its 

main tenents is to promote and reward employees who show 

their value to the organization and the mission. 

 Under the NSPS classification system, every GS position within 

the Department will be assigned to a career group, pay schedule, 

and pay band. Many of the factors used to classify positions under 

NSPS are the same as those contained in the old system, such as 

complexity and level of work. There are four career groups: Standard Career Group; Scientific & Engineering Career Group; Investigative & Protective Services Career Group; and Medical Career 

Group. There are typically four pay schedules: Professional/

Analytical; Technician/support; Supervisor/Manager; and Student. 

 There are typically three pay bands for each pay schedule: Expert; Journey; and Entry/Development. 

 The NSPS operates on three “core concepts”: 1) accountability, 

whereby an employee is responsible for their career and performance, and contributions will be directly compensated through 

salary increases and bonuses; 2) flexibility, by which employees 

are no longer bound by narrow job descriptions tied to discrete 

grade levels; and 3) results, an employee’s contributions and performance directly link to organizational and DOD goals. 

 The NSPS eliminates the GS “step” system, which provides incremental raises within pay grade for time in service. However, it 

offers several means of earning an increase in salary; employees 

are eligible to receive a performance-based increase if they have a 

rating of record of Level 3 (Valued Performer) or higher. A reassignment occurs when an employee moves, voluntarily or involuntarily, to a different position or set of duties within his/her pay 

band or to a position in a comparable pay band. A reassignment 

may result in a pay increase up to five per cent. A rate range adjustment is an increase to the minimum and/or maximum of the 

pay band that is adjusted based on market drivers. Employees are 

eligible to receive a rate range adjustment if they have a rating of 

record of Level 2 (Fair) or higher. 

 The NSPS will not affect certain benefits under the GS system; 

NSPS does not affect rules governing retirement benefits and eligibility, health and life insurance, leave, attendance, and other similar benefits. Similarly, employees will not lose any salary during 

conversion. 

 Currently, the pay system switch will only affect GS personnel. 

USU administratively determined personnel, Henry M. Jackson 

Foundation employees, and other contract employees are exempt. 

 The information printed in the December 2007 USU Newsletter 

pertaining to the January 2008 Government-wide pay increase 

does not affect USU employees. 

 For more information regarding NSPS, please visit 

www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps. 

Command Climate Survey: All military personnel will receive an email notice from the Equal Opportunity Officer during the week of 

Jan. 7-11 regarding the Command Climate Survey. Directions on 

how to complete the survey will be given at that time, and all personnel are encouraged to complete the survey as soon as possible. For more info on this important command requirement, 

please contact CPT Carrier, USA (AFRRI) at carrier@afrri.usuhs.mil

or at (301) 295-9140. 

Equal Opportunity Officer: The USU Brigade is currently seeking 

an O-3/O-4 from any service to volunteer for the position of Brigade Equal Opportunity Officer. Those interested in volunteering 

for this important collateral duty may contact the Brigade Executive Officer, CDR Trotter, USN (BDE) for info. 

Officer’s Professional Development (OPD): There will be an OPD 

for staff and faculty military officers on Feb. 7 from 6:30 am - 

7:45am in Sanford Auditorium. “In this session, I will focus on my 

leadership philosophy, and how we as officers can best support 

the MEM operational mission of the University. I look forward to 

seeing you there.” – COL John M. Wempe, MC, USA, USU Brigade 

Commander 

Color Guard: The USU Color Guard is currently seeking new members. Color guard practices are held at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday 

in the Bldg B Lobby. If you would like to participate, please contact HM2 Charles, USN (EHS) at ccharles@usuhs.mil. 

Military Awards Program: Nominations for the January Military 

Awards Panel must be routed through the chain of command to 

HM1 Hassan, USN (BDE) by Jan. 18. Award recommendations for 

officer and enlisted personnel must include routing slips with the 

appropriate signatures. 

A Day in USU: Everyone has a job in The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and we want to know what you do. 

Please submit photos with brief descriptions for an opportunity to 

have them published in a special edition of the USU Newsletter 

called, “A Day at USU.” USU wants you to show the world what 

the university is all about. 

USU Briefs 

NSPS Applies to USU’s General Schedule Employees 

By MCSN Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor 

 The university launched its first "USUTube" Video Contest in October 2007. The 

purpose was to find the most meaningful, 

creative, descriptive, humorous, and/or 

innovative entries to showcase and increase knowledge about the Uniformed 

Services University of the Health Sciences to 

the general public, and especially potential 

USU applicants. 

 The winners of this first contest are: 

ENS John De Geus, 

USN and MAJ William 

Kelly, USA.

 Another contest will 

be held in the near 

future and all USU 

members are invited to 

submit ideas. The winning videos will be 

able for viewing on the USU Web site 

shortly. 

USU-Tube 

Contest Winners 

Announced 
UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY 

of the Health Sciences