Academy Professor Promoted

WEST POINT, N.Y. – James Hughes of Mount Morris, Ill. was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force in a ceremony on July 29 officiated by Col. Mark Read, head of Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering.

Lt. Col. Hughes is currently assigned as an instructor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at West Point, where he has taught Meteorology and Physical Geography for the past three years. 

Hughes holds a Master of Science degree in Meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School and has served as an active-duty Air Force Weather Officer for the past 19 years, including multiple overseas assignments and two combat deployments to Iraq.    

The mission of the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering is to enhance the intellectual, character, and military development of all cadets within the context of a core course in physical geography, a three-course engineering sequence, four distinct majors, and a diverse offering of elective courses and to support the continued development of faculty and staff.

About West Point

The U. S. Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal, liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City.  It was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering and continues today as the world's premier leader-development institution, consistently ranked among top colleges in the country. Its mission remains constant-to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the U. S. Army.  For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.