The Citadel (military college)
Encyclopedia
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported
, comprehensive college
located in Charleston, South Carolina
, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States. It has 14 academic department
s divided into five schools offering 20 majors and 25 minors.
The Citadel is best known for its undergraduate Corps of Cadets military
program which combines academics, physical challenges and military discipline. In addition to the cadet program, civilian
programs are offered through the Citadel Graduate College with its evening undergraduate and graduate programs
. In a partnership with the local community college, Trident Technical College
, Citadel bachelor's degrees are offered to evening civilian students in Business, Civil Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. Students must complete two years at the community college level and two years at the Citadel. This program is known as the 2 + 2 program.
The Citadel enrolls over 2,100 undergraduate cadets in its residential military program and 1,200 civilian students in the evening programs. All students, both cadets and civilian students, are eligible to compete on the Citadel's athletic teams. While all programs make use of the Citadel campus and professor
s, cadets and civilian students do not share classes and only cadets live on campus. The exception to this is the veterans program, reinstated in the fall of 2007, which allows cadets who left The Citadel for active military duty to return as civilians, attend classes with cadets, and complete their degrees if certain criteria are met.
Cadets also share classes with active-duty enlisted Marine Corps and Navy personnel, who are not required to live on campus, and wear uniforms appropriate for their service area.
In response to a slave rebellion plot a municipal guard of 150 men was established in Charleston in 1822. Half the men were stationed in an arsenal called the citadel. Later, the South Carolina legislature replaced the expensive guardsmen with less expensive cadets and the arsenal was turned over to the newly established South Carolina Military Academy. On December 20, 1842, the South Carolina Legislature passed an Act "to convert the Arsenal at Columbia, and the citadel and magazine in and near Charleston, into Military Schools" thereby transforming the two State Arsenals into the South Carolina Military Academy.
The act specified:
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The first 20 cadets reported to The Academy, then located at Marion Square in downtown Charleston, on March 20, 1843. The name of the college was officially changed in 1910 to "The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina". The word "Academy" had become synonymous with secondary schools, and the public had the misconception that the South Carolina Military Academy was a preparatory school. When South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860, Major Robert Anderson
moved his garrison of U.S. troops to Fort Sumter
and requested reinforcements from the federal government. On January 9, 1861, SC Academy cadets George Edward Haynsworth and Samuel Bonneau Pickens were present when their unit fired two large cannon from their Morris Island station at the U.S. steamer, the Star of the West
, preventing it from reaching Fort Sumter with troops and supplies and thus firing what are considered the first shots of the Civil War.
On January 28, 1861, the Corps of Cadets of The SC Academy was made part of the military organization of the state and named the Battalion of State Cadets. The Academy continued to operate as a military academy, but classes were often disrupted when the governor called the cadets into military service. Mounting and manning heavy guns, performing guard duty, providing security and escorting prisoners were among the services performed by the cadets. They were known as the Battalion of State Cadets and participated in the following engagements from 1861 to 1865. As a result of these services, The Citadel is authorized to carry nine Confederate battle streamers:
In early December 1864, Governor Bonham ordered the Battalion of State Cadets to Tulifinny Creek to join a small Confederate force
defending the Charleston and Savannah Railroad. On December 7 and December 9, the cadets fought Union forces, successfully defending the rail line and forcing Union forces to withdraw. The cadets suffered eight casualties at Tulifinny Creek. The battalion was commended for its display of discipline and gallantry under fire and won the admiration of the troops who fought with them. The flag of the Corps of Cadets includes eight battle streamers, representing these engagements, and one streamer representing the Confederate States Army.
On February 18, 1865, the school ceased operation as a college when Union troops entered Charleston and occupied the site.
Following the war, the Board of Visitors eventually regained possession of The Citadel campus, and the South Carolina Legislature passed an act to reopen the college. The 1882 session began with an enrollment of 185 cadets.
In the war with Spain
in 1898, more Citadel alumni volunteered for service than were needed. In World War I
, Citadel graduates were among the first contingents of American troops to fight with the English and French divisions. By that time, The Citadel had outgrown its campus on Marion Square, despite numerous building additions. In 1918, the city of Charleston offered the state of South Carolina 176 acres (71 ha) on the banks of the Ashley River
for a new campus on the condition that the state fund the construction of a new Citadel campus there. The state accepted the offer on February 26, 1919, and alloted $300,000 towards the construction of a new campus. The college moved to its current location in 1922.
The title of the head of The Citadel was changed from Superintendent to President in 1921, when The Citadel moved to its present location. Col Oliver J. Bond was the last Superintendent and the first President of The Citadel.
Citadel graduates have performed military service for their country in major conflicts. The entire class of 1944 was inducted into the U.S. armed forces during World War II, and only two members graduated.
In 2011, The Citadel was named by U.S. News & World Report as the Number 1 public college in the south and #5 among "All (public and private) master's degree granting colleges and universities in the South"; the school has also routinely been ranked as one of the best values among all institutions in the South".
Engineering students are among the most highly-recruited students from The Citadel, and its School of Engineering is ranked 21st among all undergraduate engineering programs in the United States. The civil engineering program is ranked No. 8 in undergraduate engineering specialty programs.
Kiplinger's
magazine, in its ranking of the "Best Values in Public Colleges" for 2006, made mention of The Citadel as a "great value" although the military nature of its program excluded it from consideration as a "traditional" four-year college in its rankings.
The Citadel ranks first nationally among its peers for the percentage of students who graduate on time, and Citadel cadets are twice as likely as their peers in other colleges to graduate in four years. The Citadel's top ranking comes from a comparison of all public colleges whose entering students have average SAT
scores between 1000 and 1200. The Citadel's four-year graduation rate is 69%, and its six-year rate is 71.9%.
Most weekdays start with a formal muster and inspection of all personnel and their rooms. Cadets then march to structured military meals. After a day spent in classes, sports and other activities, the day usually ends with an evening muster formation and mandatory evening study period. Cadets are usually allowed to go out on weekends but must sleep overnight in the barracks unless they have a special pass.
Because The Citadel emphasizes corps unity and discipline, cadets may not be married and must live on campus in the barracks with their assigned company. The Citadel emphasizes an extremely strict disciplinary and physical fitness indoctrination for fourth-class cadets, who are called knobs because of the shaved heads they must maintain until the end of their first year when they are then recognized as upperclassmen.
Cadets who accumulate too many demerits or breach regulations can be punished by serving confinements or tours. A tour is one hour spent marching in the barracks with a rifle at shoulder arms and is normally performed when a cadet would otherwise be permitted to leave campus. A confinement is one hour spent in a cadet's room when they would normally be permitted to leave campus.
First class cadets, those in their senior year, receive their class rings at a special ring presentation ceremony, which was previously held in the college's chapel, but which now takes place in the school's field house. The Citadel ring is 10 karat
gold with no gem stone and is one of the heaviest all-precious/semi-precious metal college rings in the United States. The design is common to all cadets and the design does not change with each class with the exception of the class year. Active-duty and evening undergraduate students receive a ring which is the same size, but with a different design.
Included in The Citadel Graduate College student body are numerous active duty Marine
and Navy
enlisted personnel attending The Citadel under the Seaman To Admiral program (STA-21) and the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP).
The Citadel Regimental Pipe Band is one of the two all-student college pipe bands in the country, and it regularly performs at the weekly parade at The Citadel as well as at other events. The pipe band was started by General Mark Clark in 1955. The Regimental Band and Pipes were the only U.S. unit to perform at the 2010 Silver Jubilee of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland and also performed there in 1991.
. The college's mascot is the Bulldog
. Those cadets who participate in NCAA
fall athletics (football, cross country, women's soccer and volleyball) are required to report a month earlier prior to their freshman year for "athletic cadre," so that they can participate in their sport practices when normal cadre starts. During the athletic cadre, the military athletes are initiated into the Corps while completing first-week experiences, such as "Hell Week".
The Citadel Bulldogs baseball team has won thirteen regular season Southern Conference championships, most recently in 2010. The 1990 Citadel baseball team won the Atlantic Regional, earning the school its first trip to the College World Series
and finishing the season ranked sixth in the final Collegiate Baseball poll with a record of 46–14; they also became the first military school to play in the CWS. Numerous alumni have played in the major leagues in recent years.
Several alumni have played in the NFL including current WR/KR Andre Roberts of the Arizona Cardinals and CB Cortez Allen of the Pittsburgh Steelers. FB Nehemiah Broughton '05 also recently played with the Redskins, Cardinals and Giants; K Greg Davis '87played for several teams Including Arizona and Atlanta, ESPN color commentator Paul Maguire '60 played for the Buffalo Bills and former Cardinals running back Lyvonia "Stump" Mitchell '81 is the current head coach at Southern University and served as an assistant for the Seahawks and Redskins.
Norman Seabrooks became the first African American
cadet to captain a Football
team.
Norman Doucet of the Class of 1994 was the first African American
Cadet Regimental Commander of The Citadel.
The Corps of Cadets at The Citadel was all-male until August 1996, although women had attended civilian graduate evening programs at the school for many years.
On January 20, 1994, Shannon Faulkner
became the first female student to enroll in day classes at The Citadel. After additional legal battles, Faulkner won the right to enroll in the residential Corps of Cadets program. She joined an otherwise all-male class on August 15, 1995. However, after only four hours of military indoctrination training, she spent the majority of the first week in the medical infirmary and then voluntarily resigned citing emotional and psychological abuse and physical exhaustion. In the fall 1996, four more women enrolled at the Citadel (Nancy Mace, Petra Lovetinska, Kim Messer and Jeanie Mentavlos.) While two (Kim Messer and Jeanie Mentavlos) dropped out after four months citing harassment, Nancy Mace became the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel on May 8, 1999. Using credits earned from a two-year community college, Mace graduated in three years. Mace's father, Brigadier General Emory Mace, became the Commandant of Cadets during her second semester at The Citadel.
The first international female cadet was Czech
-born Petra Lovetinska-Seipel, who graduated May 2000. Lovetinska holds the rank of major
in the U.S. Marine Corps
and served in the Iraq War. She is married to a fellow Marine officer, Major Patrick Seipel.
In May 2002 the first African American women Toshika "Peaches" Hudson of Columbia, S.C; Renee Hypolite of Philadelphia, Pa.; Natosha Mitchell of Dyersburg, Tenn.; Geneive Hardney of Staten Island, N.Y.; Lesjanusar "Sha" Peterson of Chicago, Ill.; Adrienne Watson of Sanford, N.C.; and Jamey McCloud of Wadmalaw Island, S.C - seven cadets in all - graduated from the Citadel. http://www3.citadel.edu/pao/newsreleases/archives/sy01-02/graduation/aawomen.html
The Citadel, like the United States military, has adopted gender norming
for physical fitness tests.
The Citadel sits on a 300 acres (121.4 ha) tract of land on the Ashley River. There are 27 buildings grouped around a 10 acres (4 ha) grass parade ground. The buildings around the parade ground include ten classroom buildings, an administrative building, five barracks, a student activities building, infirmary, chapel, stadium, a yacht club, a marksmanship center, a field house, and library. The campus is bounded on the west by the Ashley River, to the north by the Wagener Terrace neighborhood, and to the east by Hampton Park
and the Hampton Park Terrace
neighborhood.
Just off the main campus are the football stadium, baseball stadium, and alumni center. Additionally, there is a large beach house facility located near the north end of the Isle of Palms
.
by offering regionally and professionally accredited bachelors, masters and specialist degrees scheduled around the student’s profession, family and lifestyle. CGC offers 19 graduate programs with concentrations in education, psychology, computer science and business. The Masters of Business Administration program is the only nationally accredited MBA program in the Low Country
region of South Carolina. CGC also offers undergraduate evening programs in business and engineering. The Citadel is also the only college in South Carolina that offers an undergraduate civil and electrical engineering degree in an evening program.
Approximately half of Citadel's enrollment is from the state of South Carolina. The Citadel has graduated students from across the U.S. and from many other countries. South Carolina residents receive a discount in tuition, as is common at state-sponsored schools, although The Citadel receives only about 10% of its budget from the state. Total first year expenses (tuition, fees, uniforms, housing, meals, etc..) for the 2009-2010 academic year were $21,994 for South Carolina residents and $35,804 for all others.
s (generals, rear admiral
s or commodores
). Alumni of the Citadel have served their country in all wars involving the United States since the school's establishment. Citadel alumni have been killed in action during the Civil War
(67), World War I
(15), World War II
(280), Korean War
(32), Vietnam War
(68), Lebanon
(1), Grenada (1), the Gulf War
(1), and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
(12). Alumni also serve in other countries, including five four-star generals in the Royal Thai Army.
"The Citadel Summer Camp", a summer camp
for boys and girls ages 10 to 15, was held at The Citadel every summer from 1957 until 2006. Founded by General Mark Wayne Clark
, its purpose was to develop and strengthen the physical, mental, ethical, spiritual, patriotic and social characteristics of campers. The Citadel Summer Camp ceased operation in 2006 because of financial issues, space limitations and pressure from several pending lawsuits.
State university system
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country...
, comprehensive college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
located in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States. It has 14 academic department
Academic department
An academic department is a division of a university or school faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline. This article covers United States usage at the university level....
s divided into five schools offering 20 majors and 25 minors.
College overview
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
program which combines academics, physical challenges and military discipline. In addition to the cadet program, civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
programs are offered through the Citadel Graduate College with its evening undergraduate and graduate programs
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
. In a partnership with the local community college, Trident Technical College
Trident Technical College
Trident Technical College is a two-year college based in the City of North Charleston, Charleston and Dorchester counties in South Carolina. It is part of the South Carolina Technical College System. Enrollment for each semester is approximately 12,000 students working their way toward college...
, Citadel bachelor's degrees are offered to evening civilian students in Business, Civil Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. Students must complete two years at the community college level and two years at the Citadel. This program is known as the 2 + 2 program.
The Citadel enrolls over 2,100 undergraduate cadets in its residential military program and 1,200 civilian students in the evening programs. All students, both cadets and civilian students, are eligible to compete on the Citadel's athletic teams. While all programs make use of the Citadel campus and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s, cadets and civilian students do not share classes and only cadets live on campus. The exception to this is the veterans program, reinstated in the fall of 2007, which allows cadets who left The Citadel for active military duty to return as civilians, attend classes with cadets, and complete their degrees if certain criteria are met.
Cadets also share classes with active-duty enlisted Marine Corps and Navy personnel, who are not required to live on campus, and wear uniforms appropriate for their service area.
History
| The Citadel presidents | |
|---|---|
| Capt William F. Graham, USA | |1843–1844 |
| Maj Richard W. Colcock, USA Richard W. Colcock Richard W. Colcock was the second president of the Citadel, , from 1844 through 1852.-Early life:... |
1844–1852 |
| Maj Francis W. Capers, CSA | 1852–1859 |
| Major Peters F. Stevens, SCM | 1859–1861 |
| Maj James B. White, SCM | 1861–1865 |
| Col John P. Thomas, CSA | 1882–1885 |
| BG George D. Johnston, CSA George Doherty Johnson George Doherty Johnston was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:... |
1885–1890 |
| Col Asbury Coward, CSA | 1890–1908 |
| Col Oliver J. Bond, SCM | 1908–1931 |
| Gen Charles P. Summerall, USA Charles Pelot Summerall Charles Pelot Summerall was a U.S. general. He fought in World War I, and was Army Chief of Staff between 1926 and 1930. He was also the President of The Citadel between 1931 and 1953.-Early life and career:... |
1931–1953 |
| Colonel Louis S. LeTellier, SCM | 1953-1954, Acting |
| Gen Mark W. Clark, USA Mark Wayne Clark Mark Wayne Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War and was the youngest lieutenant general in the U.S. Army... |
1954–1965 |
| Gen Hugh P. Harris, USA Hugh P. Harris Hugh Pate Harris was a United States Army four star general who served as Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command from 1964 to 1965.-Military career:... |
1965–1970 |
| MG James A. Duckett, SCM James W. Duckett Major General James W. Duckett, South Carolina Unorganized Militia, succeeded Gen Hugh P. Harris as President of The Citadel in 1970. Gen Duckett hailed from Greenwood, South Carolina... |
1970–1974 |
| LTG George M. Siegnious, USA George M. Seignious Lieutenant General George Marion Seignious U.S. Army was a distinguished military leader, diplomat and college president... |
1974–1979 |
| VADM James A. Stockdale, USN James Stockdale Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the United States Navy.Stockdale led aerial attacks from the carrier during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident... |
1979–1980 |
| MG James Grimsley, Jr., USA James Grimsley, Jr. James Alexander Grimsley, Jr. , former Major General of the United States Army, was President of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina from 1980 to 1989.-Career:Grimsley was born and raised in Florence, South Carolina... |
1980–1989 |
| Lt Gen Cladius E. Watts, USAF Claudius E. Watts III Lieutenant General Claudius Elmer "Bud" Watts III is an American military leader and past president of The Citadel Military College of South Carolina from 1989-1996.-Biography:... |
1989–1996 |
| MG Roger C. Poole, SCM Roger C. Poole Brigadier General Roger "Cliff" Clifton Poole , was the nineteenth and twenty-first President of The Citadel , serving both times in an interim status. BG Poole's first term was for school year 1996-1997; he completed his second term in 2005-06... |
1996–1997 |
| MajGen John S. Grinalds, USMC John S. Grinalds John Southy Grinalds, is a retired United States Marine Corps Major General who served as the 18th president of The Citadel.He arrived at the historic military college on August 1, 1997, one year after the first female cadets were admitted... |
1997–2005 |
| Lt Gen John W. Rosa, Jr., USAF John W. Rosa John W. Rosa Jr. is a retired United States Air Force Lieutenant General currently serving as President of The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina... |
2006–present |
In response to a slave rebellion plot a municipal guard of 150 men was established in Charleston in 1822. Half the men were stationed in an arsenal called the citadel. Later, the South Carolina legislature replaced the expensive guardsmen with less expensive cadets and the arsenal was turned over to the newly established South Carolina Military Academy. On December 20, 1842, the South Carolina Legislature passed an Act "to convert the Arsenal at Columbia, and the citadel and magazine in and near Charleston, into Military Schools" thereby transforming the two State Arsenals into the South Carolina Military Academy.
The act specified:
That the students when admitted, shall be formed into a military corps, and shall constitute the public guard of the Arsenal at Columbia, and of the Citadel and Magazine in and near Charleston...to guard effectually, the public arms and other property at the places aforsaid...
Major Robert Anderson
Robert Anderson was an American military leader. He served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, known for his command of Fort Sumter at the start of the war. He is often referred to as Major Robert Anderson, referring to his rank at Fort Sumter...
moved his garrison of U.S. troops to Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
and requested reinforcements from the federal government. On January 9, 1861, SC Academy cadets George Edward Haynsworth and Samuel Bonneau Pickens were present when their unit fired two large cannon from their Morris Island station at the U.S. steamer, the Star of the West
Star of the West
The Star of the West was a civilian steamship hired by the United States government to transport military supplies and reinforcements to the garrison of Fort Sumter, but was fired on by Confederates in its effort to do so at the dawning of the American Civil War...
, preventing it from reaching Fort Sumter with troops and supplies and thus firing what are considered the first shots of the Civil War.
On January 28, 1861, the Corps of Cadets of The SC Academy was made part of the military organization of the state and named the Battalion of State Cadets. The Academy continued to operate as a military academy, but classes were often disrupted when the governor called the cadets into military service. Mounting and manning heavy guns, performing guard duty, providing security and escorting prisoners were among the services performed by the cadets. They were known as the Battalion of State Cadets and participated in the following engagements from 1861 to 1865. As a result of these services, The Citadel is authorized to carry nine Confederate battle streamers:
- Confederate States Army (larger gray)
- Star of the West, January 9, 1861
- Wappoo Cut, November 1861
- James Island, June 1862
- Charleston and Vicinity, July–October 1863
- James Island, June 1864
- Tulifinny, December 1864
- James Island, December 1864-February 1865
- Williamston, May 1865
In early December 1864, Governor Bonham ordered the Battalion of State Cadets to Tulifinny Creek to join a small Confederate force
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
defending the Charleston and Savannah Railroad. On December 7 and December 9, the cadets fought Union forces, successfully defending the rail line and forcing Union forces to withdraw. The cadets suffered eight casualties at Tulifinny Creek. The battalion was commended for its display of discipline and gallantry under fire and won the admiration of the troops who fought with them. The flag of the Corps of Cadets includes eight battle streamers, representing these engagements, and one streamer representing the Confederate States Army.
On February 18, 1865, the school ceased operation as a college when Union troops entered Charleston and occupied the site.
Following the war, the Board of Visitors eventually regained possession of The Citadel campus, and the South Carolina Legislature passed an act to reopen the college. The 1882 session began with an enrollment of 185 cadets.
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898, more Citadel alumni volunteered for service than were needed. In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Citadel graduates were among the first contingents of American troops to fight with the English and French divisions. By that time, The Citadel had outgrown its campus on Marion Square, despite numerous building additions. In 1918, the city of Charleston offered the state of South Carolina 176 acres (71 ha) on the banks of the Ashley River
Ashley River (South Carolina)
The Ashley River is a blackwater / tidal river in South Carolina, rising from the Wassamassaw and Great Cypress Swamps in western Berkeley County. It consolidates its main channel about five miles west of Summerville, widening into a tidal estuary just south of Fort Dorchester...
for a new campus on the condition that the state fund the construction of a new Citadel campus there. The state accepted the offer on February 26, 1919, and alloted $300,000 towards the construction of a new campus. The college moved to its current location in 1922.
The title of the head of The Citadel was changed from Superintendent to President in 1921, when The Citadel moved to its present location. Col Oliver J. Bond was the last Superintendent and the first President of The Citadel.
Citadel graduates have performed military service for their country in major conflicts. The entire class of 1944 was inducted into the U.S. armed forces during World War II, and only two members graduated.
Rankings
Engineering students are among the most highly-recruited students from The Citadel, and its School of Engineering is ranked 21st among all undergraduate engineering programs in the United States. The civil engineering program is ranked No. 8 in undergraduate engineering specialty programs.
Kiplinger's
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Personal Finance is a magazine that has been continuously published, on a monthly basis, from 1947 to the present day. It was the nation's first personal finance magazine, and claims to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language"...
magazine, in its ranking of the "Best Values in Public Colleges" for 2006, made mention of The Citadel as a "great value" although the military nature of its program excluded it from consideration as a "traditional" four-year college in its rankings.
The Citadel ranks first nationally among its peers for the percentage of students who graduate on time, and Citadel cadets are twice as likely as their peers in other colleges to graduate in four years. The Citadel's top ranking comes from a comparison of all public colleges whose entering students have average SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores between 1000 and 1200. The Citadel's four-year graduation rate is 69%, and its six-year rate is 71.9%.
Student life
Undergraduate cadets at The Citadel are members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Cadets must meet physical fitness and SAT/ACT testing standards for acceptance into the Corps of Cadets. On occasion, waivers to height/weight standards can be granted upon successful completion of the physical training test. On most days, cadets have both morning and afternoon physical (fitness) training, called "PT", military instruction on leadership, weapons, drill, and discipline, in addition to their regular college classes.Most weekdays start with a formal muster and inspection of all personnel and their rooms. Cadets then march to structured military meals. After a day spent in classes, sports and other activities, the day usually ends with an evening muster formation and mandatory evening study period. Cadets are usually allowed to go out on weekends but must sleep overnight in the barracks unless they have a special pass.
Because The Citadel emphasizes corps unity and discipline, cadets may not be married and must live on campus in the barracks with their assigned company. The Citadel emphasizes an extremely strict disciplinary and physical fitness indoctrination for fourth-class cadets, who are called knobs because of the shaved heads they must maintain until the end of their first year when they are then recognized as upperclassmen.
Cadets who accumulate too many demerits or breach regulations can be punished by serving confinements or tours. A tour is one hour spent marching in the barracks with a rifle at shoulder arms and is normally performed when a cadet would otherwise be permitted to leave campus. A confinement is one hour spent in a cadet's room when they would normally be permitted to leave campus.
First class cadets, those in their senior year, receive their class rings at a special ring presentation ceremony, which was previously held in the college's chapel, but which now takes place in the school's field house. The Citadel ring is 10 karat
Carat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
gold with no gem stone and is one of the heaviest all-precious/semi-precious metal college rings in the United States. The design is common to all cadets and the design does not change with each class with the exception of the class year. Active-duty and evening undergraduate students receive a ring which is the same size, but with a different design.
Included in The Citadel Graduate College student body are numerous active duty Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
enlisted personnel attending The Citadel under the Seaman To Admiral program (STA-21) and the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP).
The Citadel Regimental Pipe Band is one of the two all-student college pipe bands in the country, and it regularly performs at the weekly parade at The Citadel as well as at other events. The pipe band was started by General Mark Clark in 1955. The Regimental Band and Pipes were the only U.S. unit to perform at the 2010 Silver Jubilee of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland and also performed there in 1991.
Athletics
The Citadel is a NCAA Division I school and a member of the Southern ConferenceSouthern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
. The college's mascot is the Bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
. Those cadets who participate in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
fall athletics (football, cross country, women's soccer and volleyball) are required to report a month earlier prior to their freshman year for "athletic cadre," so that they can participate in their sport practices when normal cadre starts. During the athletic cadre, the military athletes are initiated into the Corps while completing first-week experiences, such as "Hell Week".
The Citadel Bulldogs baseball team has won thirteen regular season Southern Conference championships, most recently in 2010. The 1990 Citadel baseball team won the Atlantic Regional, earning the school its first trip to the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
and finishing the season ranked sixth in the final Collegiate Baseball poll with a record of 46–14; they also became the first military school to play in the CWS. Numerous alumni have played in the major leagues in recent years.
Several alumni have played in the NFL including current WR/KR Andre Roberts of the Arizona Cardinals and CB Cortez Allen of the Pittsburgh Steelers. FB Nehemiah Broughton '05 also recently played with the Redskins, Cardinals and Giants; K Greg Davis '87played for several teams Including Arizona and Atlanta, ESPN color commentator Paul Maguire '60 played for the Buffalo Bills and former Cardinals running back Lyvonia "Stump" Mitchell '81 is the current head coach at Southern University and served as an assistant for the Seahawks and Redskins.
Minority and female students
Charles Foster became the first African-American cadet to graduate from the Citadel. He graduated in 1970 and he was well known for his success in ROTC.Norman Seabrooks became the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
cadet to captain a Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team.
Norman Doucet of the Class of 1994 was the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Cadet Regimental Commander of The Citadel.
The Corps of Cadets at The Citadel was all-male until August 1996, although women had attended civilian graduate evening programs at the school for many years.
On January 20, 1994, Shannon Faulkner
Shannon Faulkner
Shannon Faulkner, born in Powdersville, South Carolina, United States, graduated from Wren High School in 1993, was the first female cadet to enter The Citadel. Faulkner enrolled after a successful lawsuit against the military academy. She joined an otherwise all-male class on August 15, 1995...
became the first female student to enroll in day classes at The Citadel. After additional legal battles, Faulkner won the right to enroll in the residential Corps of Cadets program. She joined an otherwise all-male class on August 15, 1995. However, after only four hours of military indoctrination training, she spent the majority of the first week in the medical infirmary and then voluntarily resigned citing emotional and psychological abuse and physical exhaustion. In the fall 1996, four more women enrolled at the Citadel (Nancy Mace, Petra Lovetinska, Kim Messer and Jeanie Mentavlos.) While two (Kim Messer and Jeanie Mentavlos) dropped out after four months citing harassment, Nancy Mace became the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel on May 8, 1999. Using credits earned from a two-year community college, Mace graduated in three years. Mace's father, Brigadier General Emory Mace, became the Commandant of Cadets during her second semester at The Citadel.
The first international female cadet was Czech
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
-born Petra Lovetinska-Seipel, who graduated May 2000. Lovetinska holds the rank of major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in the U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and served in the Iraq War. She is married to a fellow Marine officer, Major Patrick Seipel.
In May 2002 the first African American women Toshika "Peaches" Hudson of Columbia, S.C; Renee Hypolite of Philadelphia, Pa.; Natosha Mitchell of Dyersburg, Tenn.; Geneive Hardney of Staten Island, N.Y.; Lesjanusar "Sha" Peterson of Chicago, Ill.; Adrienne Watson of Sanford, N.C.; and Jamey McCloud of Wadmalaw Island, S.C - seven cadets in all - graduated from the Citadel. http://www3.citadel.edu/pao/newsreleases/archives/sy01-02/graduation/aawomen.html
The Citadel, like the United States military, has adopted gender norming
Gender norming
Gender norming is the practice of judging female military applicants or recruits, or female employees or job applicants in the civilian workforce, by less stringent standards than their male counterparts. This is sometimes seen as a useful and effective affirmative action policy, to increase the...
for physical fitness tests.
Campus
Hampton Park (Charleston, SC)
Hampton Park is a public park located in peninsular Charleston, South Carolina. At , it is the largest park on the peninsula. It is bordered by The Citadel to the west, Hampton Park Terrace to the south, North Central to the east, and Wagener Terrace to the north.-Colonial Era:The land...
and the Hampton Park Terrace
Hampton Park Terrace
Hampton Park Terrace is a neighborhood located in peninsular Charleston, South Carolina. The neighborhood is bounded on the west by the Citadel, on the north by Hampton Park, on the east by Rutledge Ave., and on the south by Congress St. In addition, the one block of Parkwood Ave. south of...
neighborhood.
Just off the main campus are the football stadium, baseball stadium, and alumni center. Additionally, there is a large beach house facility located near the north end of the Isle of Palms
Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population on the island was 4,133. Isle of Palms is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S...
.
The Citadel Graduate College
The Citadel’s evening graduate program serves the LowcountrySouth Carolina Low Country
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands...
by offering regionally and professionally accredited bachelors, masters and specialist degrees scheduled around the student’s profession, family and lifestyle. CGC offers 19 graduate programs with concentrations in education, psychology, computer science and business. The Masters of Business Administration program is the only nationally accredited MBA program in the Low Country
South Carolina Low Country
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands...
region of South Carolina. CGC also offers undergraduate evening programs in business and engineering. The Citadel is also the only college in South Carolina that offers an undergraduate civil and electrical engineering degree in an evening program.
Core values
In its Vision Statement, the Citadel Board of Visitors identifies the following as the school's "core values:"
- Honor: First and foremost honor includes adherence to the Honor Code of The Citadel. A cadet “will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do”. The commitment to honor extends beyond the gates of The Citadel and is a life-long obligation to moral and ethical behavior. In addition, honor includes integrity; “doing the right thing when no one is watching”. Finally, honorable behavior includes exercising the moral courage to “do the right thing when everyone is watching”. The Honor Code is the foundation of our academic enterprise.
- Duty: First and foremost duty means to accept and accomplish the responsibilities assigned to me. At The Citadel, my primary duty is to perform academically and then to perform as a member of the Corps of Cadets and the campus community. I accept the consequences associated with my performance and actions. Once I have held myself accountable for my actions, then I will hold others accountable for their actions. Finally, duty means that others can depend on me to complete my assignments and to assist them with their assignments. Duty is also a call to serve others before self.
- Respect: First and foremost respect means to treat other people with dignity and worth – the way you want others to treat you. Respect for others eliminates any form of prejudice, discrimination, or harassment (including but not limited to rank, position, age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, physical attributes, etc.). In addition, respect for others means to respect the positions of those in authority which include faculty, staff, administrators, active duty personnel and the leadership of the Corps of Cadets. Finally, respect includes a healthy respect for one’s self.
No lock tradition
Since its founding, male cadets at the Citadel had not had locks on their barracks doors. Every cadet had a lockbox, however, that could be used to house valuables. The tradition evolved in keeping with the spareness of military life and with the school's honor code, which mandates that cadets do not steal. Since 1997, female cadets have been able to lock their doors from the inside. In 2007, all barracks doors were fitted with working locks. As of 2009 all knobs are required to lock their rooms after Taps.Enrollment and Tuition
Military service
All cadets are required to undergo four years of ROTC training in one of the four branches of the armed services, but they are not required to enter military service after graduation. Civilian students may opt to attend. Currently, just over forty percent of graduates go into military service (including the US Coast Guard), and less than ten percent make the military a career. The others go on to graduate, law, or medical school programs or enter the civilian workforce. Over the years, 264 Citadel alumni have reached the top ranks in the military by becoming flag officerFlag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
s (generals, rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
s or commodores
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
). Alumni of the Citadel have served their country in all wars involving the United States since the school's establishment. Citadel alumni have been killed in action during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(67), World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(15), World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(280), Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
(32), Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(68), Lebanon
1983 Beirut barracks bombing
The Beirut Barracks Bombing occurred during the Lebanese Civil War, when two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing United States and French military forces—members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon—killing 299 American and French servicemen...
(1), Grenada (1), the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
(1), and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
(12). Alumni also serve in other countries, including five four-star generals in the Royal Thai Army.
Summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
for boys and girls ages 10 to 15, was held at The Citadel every summer from 1957 until 2006. Founded by General Mark Wayne Clark
Mark Wayne Clark
Mark Wayne Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War and was the youngest lieutenant general in the U.S. Army...
, its purpose was to develop and strengthen the physical, mental, ethical, spiritual, patriotic and social characteristics of campers. The Citadel Summer Camp ceased operation in 2006 because of financial issues, space limitations and pressure from several pending lawsuits.
Cadet Officer Leadership School
Selected members of Air Force JROTC units from the Southeastern United States cadets are eligible to spend a week at the Citadel for officer training for their home JROTC units. A routine day attending Cadet Officer Leadership School (COLS) begins with waking up to Reveille for morning PT. This includes aerobic stretches, push ups, sit ups, and then a mile run. The remainder of the day is uniform wear and inspection, two classes and constant regulation drill. On the day of graduation from the school, cadets participate in a "pass in review" ceremony where awards and decorations are given to certain cadets who have gone above the normal standards. A PT ribbon and a Leadership School ribbon are given to all cadets who graduate from COLS back at their home unit. A Leadership ribbon is given to all Cadre, or cadet leaders, who graduate from the program, also back at their home unit at the beginning of the school year. Units that have a 100% PT(physical training) pass rate also receive a Colonel Sercer award, which includes a plaque and a certificate for the unit to display wherever they see fit.Fictional depictions
- Pat ConroyPat ConroyPat Conroy , is a New York Times bestselling author who has written several acclaimed novels and memoirs. Two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, were made into Oscar-nominated films.-Early life:...
's 1980 novel The Lords of DisciplineThe Lords of DisciplineThe Lords of Discipline is a 1980 novel by Pat Conroy.-Summary:The novel's narrator, Will McLean, attends the Carolina Military Institute in Charleston, from 1963 to 1967. The novel takes place in four parts. The first describes the beginning of his senior year and the admission of new freshmen...
was based in part on Conroy's experience as a cadet at The Citadel during the 1960s and on his research of other military schools. This book is a fictitious account of the first African American cadet at The Citadel and the class struggle that ensued to both keep and reject the cadet. The novel outraged many of his fellow graduates of The Citadel, who felt that the book was a thinly veiled portrayal of campus life that was highly unflattering. The rift was not healed until 2000, when Conroy was awarded an honorary degree and asked to deliver the commencement address the following year. That year Conroy spearheaded fundraising to renovate the banquet hall in The Citadel Alumni Association building The Lords of Discipline was made into a movie of the same nameThe Lords of Discipline (film)The Lords of Discipline is a 1983 film based on the novel by Pat Conroy and directed by Franc Roddam. The film stars David Keith, Robert Prosky, Judge Reinhold, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Michael Biehn, and Olympic boxer Mark Breland...
starring David KeithDavid KeithDavid Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. He received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman.-Career:...
and Robert ProskyRobert ProskyRobert Prosky was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:Prosky, a Polish American, was born Robert Joseph Porzuczek in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Helen and Joseph Porzuczek. His father was a grocer and butcher...
in 1983. - Sword Drill, a novel by David Epps (Citadel Class of 1980), presents a fictional version of the Citadel’s now disbanded Junior Sword Drill program.http://www.sworddrill.com/
- A thinly veiled depiction of the Citadel provides the background for Calder WillinghamCalder WillinghamCalder Baynard Willingham, Jr. was an American novelist and screenwriter. He cowrote several notable screenplays, including Paths of Glory and One-Eyed Jacks ....
's novel End as a Man and the film adaptation, The Strange One. - The Citadel was used as the location for shooting the 1974 episode Columbo "By Dawn's Early Light," guest starring Patrick McGoohanPatrick McGoohanPatrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
. - Major Ben Marco, Denzel WashingtonDenzel WashingtonDenzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
's character in the movie The Manchurian CandidateThe Manchurian Candidate (2004 film)The Manchurian Candidate is a 2004 American thriller film based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Richard Condon, and a reimagining of the previous 1962 film....
, was a graduate of The Citadel. - In the film For the BoysFor the BoysFor the Boys is a 1991 film which tells the story of Dixie Leonard, a 1940s actress/singer who teams up with Eddie Sparks, a famous performer to entertain American troops. The film traces her life through 50 years. The original music score was composed by Dave Grusin.The film was adapted by...
, Bette Midler's son graduates as Regimental Commander of the Corps of Cadets. His commencement speech is filmed in front of 2nd Battalion Barracks. - Several scenes of the movie Dear John were filmed at The Citadel.
- Portions of the music video for Dave Matthews Band, "American Baby" were filmed at The Citadel.
- The Citadel, a novel written by Tom Schroder in 2000.