Announcement of College of Enlisted Military Education Online Seminars

1.  This message announces that the College of Enlisted Military Education (CEME) will transition from teaching resident schools to teaching the College of Distance Education and Training (CDET) online seminars from 14 December 2020 through the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2021.  The online seminars allow Marines to complete the required Professional Military Education (PME) schools offered by CEME and CDET.  COVID-19 is a Force Health Protection threat in regions where Department of Defense personnel live and work.  The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to assess the risk of COVID-19 and provide guidance for those residing in the United States and traveling abroad.  The Enlisted College has been teaching resident schools in a socially distanced environment, which has reduced capacity by nearly 60 percent.  By having Staff Noncommissioned Academy (SNCOA) faculty teach CDET online curricula, the Enlisted College can increase the number of Marines who complete their PME requirements to be eligible for promotion.
2.  These online seminars are in addition to CDET scheduled Enlisted College seminars.  Marines may also enroll in those seminars.  Reference G provides information on those seminars.
3.  For purposes of promotion and assignment, completion of an online seminar is equivalent to completion of the associated resident school at a SNCOA.
4.  The 15-week online seminars will be conducted during Marines off duty hours.  The Sergeants and Advanced Schools will commence the week of 4 January 2021 and complete the week of 12 April 2021.
5.  In order to complete these online seminars before the FY21 Gunnery Sergeant Selection Board convenes, the SNCOA-led Career School seminars will convene the week of 14 December 2020 and end the week of 4 April 2021.  However, the Career School Seminars will not meet the weeks of 21 and 28 December 2020 due to the holiday schedule.
6.  Coordinating Instructions
6.A.  Course prerequisites include:  nominees must meet the Marine Corps Body Composition Program standards, have completed the associated prerequisite distance education program (DEP) on MarineNet (EPME5000AA Sergeants Course DEP for Sergeants School Seminar Program, EPME6000AA Career Course DEP for Career School Seminar Program, and EPME7000AA Advanced Course DEP for Advanced School Seminar Program), and be endorsed by their commanding officer via the command screening checklist.
6.B.  Course Registration
6.B.1.  Registration is limited to those Marines who are expected to be either in the promotion zone or the above zone for the FY21 Staff Sergeant Selection Board (Sergeants), FY21 Gunnery Sergeant Selection Board (Staff Sergeants) or the FY22 Sergeant Major through Master Sergeant Selection Board (Gunnery Sergeants).
6.B.2.  Registration packages including a completed command screening checklist located at https:(slash)(slash)www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/CEME/Documents/Information/OnlineSeminarChecklist.pdf?ver=mO0vw6YKsOVPYDiSv5sXTw%3d%3d must be emailed to the regional SNCOA closest to the Marines home base or station/time zone.  This is the only form necessary and certifies that Marines have the required computer and internet access, and provides students MarineNet Identity and contact information so they can be enrolled.
6.B.3.  SNCOA email addresses:
6.B.3.A.  SNCOA Quantico:  smb.mcbqsncoa.headquarters@usmc.mil
6.B.3.B.  SNCOA Lejeune:  MCU_SNCOA_Lejeune@usmcu.edu
6.B.3.C.  SNCOA Pendleton:  sncoacp@usmc.mil
6.B.3.D.  SNCOA Okinawa:  Primary Staff Sergeant G. Crans, george.crans@usmc.mil.  Secondary Staff Sergeant K. Norma, korey.norman@usmc.mil.
6.B.3.E.  SNCOA Hawaii:  Primary Gunnery Sergeant E. Bottoms, Ernesto.bottoms@usmc.mil.  Secondary Staff Sergeantt T. Seavy, tyler.w.seavy@usmc.mil.
6.B.3.F.  SNCOA 29 Palms:  Primary Gunnery Sergeant S. Rhyne, seth.rhyne@usmc.mil.  Secondary First Sergeant L. Ortega, luis.ortega@usmc.mil.
6.B.4.  As these seminars will be completed entirely online, duty status waiver requests are not required.
6.B.5.  Registration deadline for the online seminars is 1 December 2020.  Registration will close if all seminar seats have been filled.
7.  Amplifying Instructions
7.A.  Travel Approval Request is not authorized for these seminar programs.
7.B.  All students require access to a computer and the internet while participating in an online seminar program with word processing software that saves files in a .pdf or .docx format.
7.C.  These online seminars will be led by Faculty Advisors (FA) from the regional SNCOAs.  FAs will establish meeting days and times for their conference groups.
7.D.  Reserve Marines will be accepted on a space available basis to all three seminars.
7.E.  As the CEME is observing minimal manning, email is the preferred method of communication.
8.  Released authorized by Lieutenant General Lewis A. Craparotta, Commanding General, Training and Education Command.