Embry-Riddle Opens New Learning Center in Camp Fuji to Support Marines

Educators from Embry-Riddle, the University of Maryland and the Combined Arms Training Center celebrate the grand opening of the new learning center.

Continuing its long tradition of helping military service members pursue their dreams through higher education, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently celebrated the grand opening of its newest Worldwide Campus Pacific Command (PACOM) learning center. The Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji Education Center, positioned at the base of Mount Fuji, in Shizuoka, Japan, officially opened July 12.

The remote base is nestled at the foothills of its namesake mountain and is a dependent-restricted duty station that provides over 35,000 acres of training space to forward deployed forces for all branches of service. The base shares a helicopter runway between U.S. Forces and Japan Ground Self Defense Forces. U.S. Marines are typically stationed at Camp Fuji for one year.

The grand opening event began with a speech from Cesear Hernandez, education services officer of the center, as well as one from base Commanding Officer Col. Scott Wellborn, who encouraged Marines and sailors to take advantage of all educational opportunities available to them.

The new center sits in between the base library and base exchange, with a stunning view of Mt. Fuji and sakura trees lining the road. The office is shared between Embry-Riddle and University of Maryland Global Campus, partner schools under the US-INDOPACOM Education Services Agreement. Staff from both colleges assist students throughout the education process, including aiding in the admissions process, signing up for classes and supporting military tuition assistance applications.

The new center and its students are supported by the Atsugi Campus; Associate Campus Director Michael Mumford travels on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month to provide in-person advising and degree planning services to new and continuing Marine students stationed at the base.

About Embry-Riddle’s Campus Locations in the Pacific

Embry-Riddle began offering aviation undergraduate and graduate certificates and degree programs, EagleVision Classroom courses and on-site advising/support services to members of the U.S. military and their families stationed at overseas Pacific locations in US Forces Japan (USFJ) and US Forces Korea (USFK) in 2015 under a Department of Defense Education contract. Embry-Riddle’s PACOM’s flagship campus locations — Kadena AB, in Okinawa, and Camp Humphreys, in South Korea — opened their doors in August of 2015. Since then, Embry-Riddle PACOM has expanded to include 10 campus locations throughout Japan (Kadena AB, MCAS Futenma, MCAS Iwakuni, Misawa AB, NAF Atsugi, Yokosuka NB and Yokota AB), South Korea (Camp Humphreys, Osan AB), and Guam (Andersen AFB). Embry-Riddle also supports students located in Daegu, Kunsan, Camp Foster, Camp Schwab, Camp Kinser, Camp Hansen, Torii Station, Camp Fuji and Camp Zama. In August 2022, Embry-Riddle renewed its commitment to military education in aviation, aerospace, engineering, safety and more under an Education Services Agreement. Learn more online.