U . S . Navy Senior Enlisted Academy The U . S . Navy Senior Enlisted Academy provides education and training for senior and master chief petty officers . Most of the students are active - duty Navy personnel . The remaining students are from the Navy Reserve , Air Force , Army , Coast Guard , Marine Corps , and other nations ' armed forces . Mission . The mission of the United States Navy Senior Enlisted Academy is to strengthen senior enlisted commitment to professional excellence and mission accomplishment through education . History . Congress established the senior and master chief petty officer ranks in 1958 , primarily as an incentive to retain E - 7 ' s beyond their 20 - year mark . This move enjoyed some initial success . Although the chief petty officer has always held a well - defined position of responsibility in the chain of command , the roles of the senior and master chief petty officers have been the subject of considerable debate almost since their beginning days . It became apparent that senior and master chief petty officers received little additional responsibilities than what they had as chief petty officers . This resulted in a return of the old trend where many senior enlisted members left the Navy shortly after completing 20 years of service . In 1979 , the Chief of Naval Operations took concrete steps to end that debate and stated that the Navy would expand the role of the senior and master chief petty officers . Their roles would no longer be that of senior technician s ; instead , their role would be that of mid - level management . As a result of the CNO ' s policy , commands throughout the Navy appointed many senior and master chief petty officers to positions of greater responsibility . While some performed well in their expanded roles , others lacked the education and training needed to carry out their new managerial duties . To assist senior and master chief petty officers ' transition from technicians to positions of middle managers , the Navy founded the Senior Enlisted Academy . Opening ceremonies held on September 14 , 1981 , marked the beginning of an educational program which is unique among the Navy ' s many training schools and programs . On that day , the Navy ' s Senior Enlisted Academy opened its doors to its first class . This pilot class , consisting of 16 students , received and validated the nine - week curriculum containing a diverse mix of subjects such as communications skills , national security affairs , Navy programs , and physical readiness training . Starting January 2005 , the SEA seated 65 students per class and convened for 6 weeks . Because of the SEA ' s success in preparing senior enlisted leaders for positions of greater responsibilities , graduation is now a requirement before assuming the positions of command master chief or chief of the boat . The Senior Enlisted Academy offers resident and non - resident classes . The resident class is 6 weeks long . The non - resident class is two weeks long . There have been 136 resident and 19 non - resident classes as of February 24 , 2007 . Facilities . The Senior Enlisted Academy began conducting its classes in facilities at the Center for War Gaming , Naval War College in Newport , RI in 1981 . In August 1989 , the Academy moved to its new facilities in Tomich Hall . This building contains the classrooms , office spaces , and berthing for 61 students . Tomich Hall pays tribute to Chief Watertender Peter Tomich who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on the , 7 December 1941 , Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . During the Japanese attack , the " Utah " sustained major damage . Realizing the inevitable fate of the ship , Chief Tomich returned to his post in the boiler room to evacuate his fireroom personnel and shut down the boilers before the " Utah " sank . His efforts resulted in the saving of many lives in his fireroom crew and throughout the ship . His gallant actions were in keeping with the precepts upon which the Senior Enlisted Academy has been built : " Leadership by Example . "