US Air Force secretary announces return to academia

By Michael Hernandez</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced Friday she is resigning from the military to return to her career in academia. </p> <p>Wilson said on Twitter she informed U.S. President Donald Trump of her decision to pursue the top post at the University of Texas at El Paso.</p> <p>&quot;It has been a privilege to serve with our #Airmen—I am proud of the progress we have made to restore the readiness &amp; lethality of #USAF,&quot; she said, referring to the U.S. Air Force.</p> <p>The University of Texas's board of regents selected Wilson as the only finalist for the presidency of its El Paso campus.</p> <p>Trump thanked Wilson for her service and congratulated her on Twitter. </p> <p>&quot;I know she will be equally great in the very important world of higher education,&quot; Trump said. </p> <p>Wilson is a Rhodes scholar who served in Congress for more than a decade following a seven-year career in the Air Force. </p> <p>She served as President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology for four years before taking the top spot in the Air Force in 2017.