Abstract

Service academies are vehicles for the Armed Forces to train their officer corps. A foundational block of the United States Air Force Academy and its training program is the Honor Code System. The Honor Code states that cadets "will not lie, steal or cheat, or tolerate among us anyone who does." Though the Honor Code has not changed appreciably since the Academy's inception in 1955, the System by which the Code is administered has gone through a number of changes. The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth investigation of how and why the Cadet Honor Code System has changed over time. An historical case study analysis was used to investigate the origins of the Honor Code System, when and why various changes occurred over time to the System, and how those changes have affected the System. Four site visits were made to obtain archival information and conduct interviews. Forty-five interviews were conducted. Interview respondents represented four different cohort time periods . Respondents were drawn from different categories within those cohort time periods including administrators, faculty, Directors of the Honor and Ethics office, Cadet Honor Chairpersons, cadets at large, alumni, long tenured faculty members, cadets who had been disenrolled for included document analysis, observations and informal interviews. As part of the research, the complete history was chronicled. Data from the interviews were coded. In addition to responding to the research questions posed, themes for consideration became prominent. These themes fell into nine categories: the purpose for the Honor Code, the Honor Code System viewed as a standard or a tool for moral development, responsibility/accountability for the Honor Code System, issues surrounding change, increasing legalism associated with the Honor Code System, issues of loyalty versus toleration, the environment of trust, ownership of the Honor Code System, and education issues. Recommendations were made appropriate to the findings