Argosy Grad Publishes Book on Military Contracting

Santa Ana, Calif. (PRWEB) June 7, 2007 -- Today's military personnel need to know more than how to fire weapons and hunt down enemies. They must also know how to handle multi-million dollar contracts for high-tech weapon systems.

These are some of the lessons that Dr. Rene G. Rendon teaches at the United States Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. A former resident of southern California, Rendon is a senior lecturer in the school's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. He graduated with a Doctorate of Business Administration degree from Argosy University's Orange County campus in 2003 and is also a member of the university's Alumni Council.

"The Department of Defense does not build weapon systems like missiles and aircraft," said Rendon, who teaches courses on acquisition and contract management. "All of these weapon system programs are awarded to major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, to name a few."

Rendon has extensive experience overseeing military contracts and dealing with major defense corporations. He has also conducted research for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics), as well as the U.S. Navy.

Before he became a college professor, Rendon served for more than 22 years as a contracting and acquisitions officer in the Air Force. He worked as a contracting officer for the F-22 Raptor program. The F-22 Raptor is a radar-evading fighter, which has been designated as the military's main warplane for the 21st century. The F-22 Raptor is estimated to cost about $300 million per plane. Rendon also worked on the Peacekeeper Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program.

Rendon was also the director of contracting for the Air Force's space and surveillance satellite and space launch rocket programs, and served as contracting squadron commander for an Air Force pilot training base.

Rendon has authored two books. He recently co-authored U.S. Military Program Management: Lessons Learned and Best Practices, and he published "Contract Management: Organizational Assessment Tools" in 2005. Both books are used by students at the United States Naval Postgraduate School. Rendon's most recent publication focuses on how the military manages outsourcing on various defense contracts.

"The U.S. Department of Defense and the related defense industry develop some of the most expensive and complex systems ever created. U.S. Military Program Management presents a unique and exhaustive account of what it takes to manage major U.S. military programs and offers recommendations for improving practices in the future. More than 15 leading experts present case studies, best practices and lessons from the Army, Navy, and Air Force from both the government and industry/contractor perspective in the book," Rendon said.

Dr. Jeb Egbert, president of Argosy University's Orange County campus, said that faculty members are very proud of Rendon's professional success. "Argosy University's flexible programs, which include online, evening and weekend courses, are perfect for working professionals," Egbert said. "Our flexible programs are able to attract gifted students like Rene."

Most of the students in the Naval Postgraduate School's MBA program are officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marine Corps. After graduating, they are typically assigned to jobs overseeing the management of weapon system programs. "There is a big demand for these educated officers because the government is contracting and outsourcing many of the services previously performed by people in the Department of Defense," Rendon said. "Their skills and experience are very critical and valuable to the Department of Defense."

Rendon's doctoral thesis focused on how large organizations assess and manage outsourced projects. It was the basis of his first book, which is referenced by students at the Naval Postgraduate School. It also helped him get into teaching full time at the Naval Postgraduate School after he retired from the Air Force. Rendon had previously taught part-time at UCLA Extension and the Keller Graduate School of Management in Los Angeles.

For more information about Argosy University's Orange County campus, call (714) 338- 6200 or visit www.argosyu.edu/orangecounty. U.S. Military Program Management is available at amazon.com.

Argosy University's Orange County campus is one of 18 Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) locations in 12 states. Argosy University offers doctoral and master's degree programs in clinical and counseling psychology, business and education. Argosy University also offers bachelor's degree completion programs in psychology and business, and associate's degree programs in various health sciences fields. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, (800) 621-7440; www.ncahlc.org).

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