Navy College Office at Lemoore base to close

The Navy College Office at Lemoore Naval Air Station will close Oct. 1 as the Navy tells sailors seeking tuition assistance to go online for help.

The office helps sailors apply for tuition assistance for off-base higher education and provides educational counseling.

The closure is part of a trend.

The Lemoore office is one of 16 college offices being closed this year at Navy installations across the country, with the final four to close next year, saving an estimated $2.3 million annually.

Last year, more than 2,000 sailors at Lemoore used the Navy College Office.

Tuition assistance is available at the Navy College Office’s Virtual Education Center, an online option sailors are using more often, said Lt. Cmdr. Kate Meadows, public affairs officer at the Naval Education & Training Command in Pensacola, Fla.

“We have seen about a 47 percent decline in foot traffic” at the offices in the past six years, she said.

Three jobs – “billets” in Navy terminology – are being eliminated at Lemoore. The civilian employees can apply for other Navy jobs or use career transition resources.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Navy College Office at Lemoore base to close."