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THE CITADEL |
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| OFFICE
OF THE PRESIDENT |
Tele: (843) 953-5012 FAX: (843) 953-5287 |
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January 2001 Dear Parents, With the August 19 arrival of the largest freshman class in 10 years, the military college was off to a great start for the 2000-2001 academic year. Fourthclass (or freshmen) cadets represented 44 states and seven countries; there were 619 male cadets and 31 female; 14% were minorities. The average SAT score was 1067 and the average high school grade point average (GPA) was 3.04. It comes as no surprise that this impressive group of students chose to attend The Citadel—in September the college was once again recognized by U.S. News and World Report in its annual ranking of America’s best colleges. The magazine gave The Citadel high marks in comparison with peer institutions in the South and singled out the engineering program for national classification. Overall, The Citadel was ranked third in the category of "best public Southern universities." In the spotlight The college’s greatest asset is the Corps of Cadets—1800 young men and women who strive to succeed academically, militarily, athletically, and morally; 1800 young men and women, who, in their quest to succeed, bring great credit to The Citadel and their families—like the 182 cadets who earned Gold Stars (3.7+ GPA) and the 538 cadets who earned Dean’s List (3.2+ GPA). Like Cadet David Surratt, who was awarded the Cadet Medal for Valor for saving the life of a 77-year-old woman pinned beneath her car. Like Cadet Fred Marcinak, a Rhodes Scholar finalist and the recipient of the Rotary Club International’s Ambassadorial Scholarship to study law at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, for the 2001-2002 year. Like Regimental Executive Officer Cadet Mandy Garcia who demonstrated great poise when she was interviewed by CBS as a cadet, a woman, and an athlete who had achieved success while at the military college. And like Regimental Commander Cadet Craig Wilson, a future Navy SEAL; he was one of only ten nationwide to be accepted into the elite officer program. Throughout the summer and the fall semester, many cadets were honored for their achievements. Thirty-five rising junior Air Force cadets attended field training during the summer. Of those cadets, four were distinguished graduates—Cadets Steve Alverson, Phil George, Cecil Redmon and Erik Schilling—and three were superior performers—Cadets David Cook, Brennus Dawson and Reed Kastner. Many cadets were honored during parents’ weekend. Cadet Kevin Ryan was awarded the Widder Award in recognition of his devotion to duty, exemplary conduct, and military and academic excellence. Cadet Joshua Van Etten was awarded the Todd L. Dorney Award for outstanding performance as a senior Army ROTC cadet. Cadet Joseph Weinburgh was recognized for achieving the highest overall standing among cadets at Army ROTC Advanced Camp when he was awarded the Col. Walter Ballard Clark Award. Cadet Richard Carlson of Echo Company led the first squad of the third platoon to victory in the Kelly Cup competition for the best-drilled fourthclass squad, and Cadet Matthew Kutilek, Hotel Company commander, accepted the Regimental Commander’s Bowl, which recognizes the cadet company whose fourthclass cadets have demonstrated superior performance in the areas of close order drill, physical training, and fourthclass knowledge. During homecoming weekend, Cadet Dwight Dempsey of Hilton Head was awarded the Colonel Loring K. Himelright Scholarship for his outstanding performance as a civil engineering student. And in November, Cadet Jay Smith was selected as the outstanding student in the field of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance for the state of South Carolina. In academic life Academic pursuits have sent cadets traveling all over the globe. During summer vacation, Cadet Tim Anderson attended the Refugee Center International Summer School at Oxford. Cadets Matthew Belcher, Ben Baroody, Thomas Estes, Robert Graham, Sharon Hacker, and Andrew St. Jean attended summer classes at Cambridge University. Cadet Paul Eitel participated in a summer program study of third world countries at the University of South Carolina which included an internship in Cameroon. Cadet Austin Eckles studied environmental engineering in Australia while Cadet Anna Smertina studied German at the Goethe Institute. As summer interns at Baker Concrete in Cincinnati, Civil Engineering Cadets Kyle Bogardus, Dwight Dempsey, Austin Eckles, Troy Grill, and Russ Touchberry were exposed to a variety of engineering, management, and construction issues. Cadet Greg Atkins completed an internship at the Washington Center; Cadet Royce Frazee, at the Pearson Center in Canada; and Cadet Matt McMillan, at the Medical University of South Carolina. Several cadets in Air Force ROTC spent the summer in shadow programs around the world to experience life first hand in the Air Force. Cadet Melanie DeSantiago went to Idaho; Cadet Scott Huffstetler went to Germany; Cadets Dena Abrash and Brian Ellis went to Japan; Cadet Daniel Ruttenber went to Alaska; Cadets Candida Colon and Enrique Pyles-Canizales went to California; Cadet Clarence Davis went to Oklahoma; Cadet Joshua DePaul went to the Air Force Academy; Cadet Leroy Doby went to England; Cadets Christopher Horsley and Rachel Rogers went to Texas; Cadet Terrence McIntyre went to Georgia; Cadet Matthew Sheehy went to North Dakota; Cadet Robert Witherspoon went to South Dakota; and Cadet Joshua Simon went to Arkansas. In the fall semester, Major Terry Mays and members of his Honors Native American Culture class hiked into the Francis Marion National Forest where they looked at two Native American sites from the archaic period (6,000 BC to 1,000 BC), a clam shell ring along the Intracoastal Waterway and an oyster shell ring/village site. Cadets Mathias Boehm, Walt Cartin, Jeff DeSombre, Geoff Marke, Abdoul Thiam, Courtney Walsh, and Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) student Sergeant Heather Provoe attended the annual humanities seminar held at Camp St. Christopher on Seabrook Island. In a roundtable discussion moderated by Judge Klyde Robinson,’44, cadets, faculty, and members from the community held philosophical discussions on a variety of issues, including religion, government, and equal rights. Cadets Matt Locklair and Justin Scruggs traveled with Captain Patricia Glas to Chicago where they presented their research at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting. Their research was funded by grants they received last summer from the Charleston Scientific and Cultural Education Fund. Travel costs were defrayed by The Citadel Foundation. Accompanied by their creative writing professor, Lt. Col. Margaret Lally, Cadets Mandy Garcia, Geoff Marke, and Mike Cassidy spent time at Johnson and Wales University, offering readings of their own fiction and poetry. On campus, physics professor Col. Saul Adelman and his students have been studying real astronomical data. Using data from the European Space Agency, he and his students extracted the averages and values of the scatter for all of the stars which are visible to the naked eye. In a series of papers being published in the Information Bulletin for Variable Stars, they discuss the variability characteristics and identify interesting stars for future observations. Students writing papers were Cadets Megan Gentry, I. Made Sudiana, Ricardo Flores, Varun Patel, Jacob Davis, Alex Lee, Bart Coursey, Elizabeth Harris, Matthew Mayer, and Michael Rosidivito. Senior Cadets James Browning and Michael Philpott are working with scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to isolate biotoxins from natural sources. This research was made possible by the Schiller Science Initiative, which was responsible for the college’s purchase of a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, a $100,000 piece of equipment that has been instrumental in garnering outside internships with the NOAA. In community service Cadets devoted 1,348 hours of their free time in the fall semester to community service, volunteering in a variety of projects that raised money for worthy causes, including the American Heart Association Walk, the Medical University of South Carolina Race for the Cure, the Ghostwalk Charleston Tours, and the Junior League’s preparation for its annual Whale of a Sale. In a historical moment on August 8 as the Confederate submarine, the H.L. Hunley, was exhumed from its 136-year-old watery grave some four miles off the coast of Sullivan’s Island, Citadel alumni and Cadets William Buddin, Ashley Garry, Anthony Isgro, and John Kosobud took part in a reenactment battery honoring the dead crew. Cadets are making a positive impact in the lives of some local children with their involvement in Bulldog/Bullpup. Bulldog/Bullpup is a mentoring program sponsored by the office of cadet activities in which cadets are paired up with local children in need to serve as positive role models. In addition to spending quality time with their Bullpups, cadets and the office of cadet activities sponsored a Halloween party and a Christmas party for the children. Maj. Stephenie Hewett reports that after a busy semester of community service she has already received a number of requests for cadet assistance this year in local schools. Cadets from the education department assisted with the fall festival at Moultrie Middle School, playing games with the students and planning activities for the day; they tutored 7th and 8th grade students at Alice Birney Middle School and Fort Johnson Middle School; and they paired up with students from St. James-Santee Elementary School and showed them around campus so the students could see first hand a day in the life of a cadet. On September 30 in the town of Summerville, 55 students from the department of civil and environmental engineering participated in the construction of the Playground Plantation, an enormous undertaking to build a $250,000 playground on a one-acre site. Selena Hardison of Crisis Ministries wrote, praising cadets from the African American Society. Cadets Khadedra Bey, Brenton Brown, Melvin Carter, La Renzo Champagne, Tanika Griffith, Micah Griggs, Patrick Hahn, Shaka Hodges, George Moultrie, Lesjanusar Peterson, and Antonn Simmons volunteered their services to help with the organization’s Ragtime Gala. Members of the band contributed their talents to a number of local ceremonies, including three memorial services, the Marine Corps Birthday, the Veteran’s Day Parade, the Kirkin’ of the Tartan, and the college Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. Faculty, staff, and cadets joined forces with the Charleston County Department of Social Services for the annual Angel Tree Project. The Citadel family contributed presents for more than 340 children in need during the month of December. The college is the largest single contributor to the Angel Tree Project. Cadets presented their annual candlelight service to the community December 2-4. The Citadel Choir, the Brass Ensemble, the Herald Trumpeters, cadet ushers, and cadets reciting scripture brought the spirit of Christmas to The Citadel with this poignant service. On campus The Citadel’s Tau Iota chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, was recognized in September as an honor chapter for the eighth consecutive year by the national executive committee for the chapter’s outstanding activities accomplished during the academic year. Approximately 20 chapters nationwide (out of 497) were chosen for this distinction. Cadet members are Samuel Maldonado (president), Melanie De Santiago (vice president), Blanca Binstock (secretary-treasurer), William Hefty, Kevin Spellacy, and David Van Houten. The office of cadet activities sponsored an alcohol awareness program in October, which included alcohol awareness displays, a Medical University helicopter landing to demonstrate how critically injured patients from DUI accidents are transported, and a mock DUI trial acted out by real life legal and law enforcement personnel. Cadets Courtney Walsh, Jason Davis, Kevin Lewis, and Michael Teeple posed as defendants. Cadets Joseph Cleveland, Deonn Crumley, Glenn Hamm, William Mitchell, Keith Poston, Michael Steele, and Paul Swaim recreated the events of the January 1861 firing on the Star of the West in a special segment of "This Week in History," which aired on the History Channel January 5. The big news on campus in the fall was the opening of the new John Monroe J. Holliday Alumni Center. The new 30,000 square foot facility, named in honor of John Monroe J. Holliday, ’36, houses alumni and fundraising organizations for The Citadel as well as a gift shop, visitors’ center, library, catering kitchen, banquet hall, and two courtyards. In athletics In club sports, The Citadel Kendo Club, a martial arts organization, stepped into the spotlight when it hosted the Southeast United States Kendo Federation Championships in October. Cadet Colin Maruoka was promoted to the kendo rank of Ikkyu, and Major John Murden from the department of civil and environmental engineering was promoted to the rank of Shodan. The pistol and rifle teams continued their winning traditions. The pistol team placed first at a Marine Corps-Naval ROTC match in October. Cadet Jason Mayne placed second individually, and William Murray finished behind him in third place. The rifle team placed second in the Southeastern Air Rifle Conference hosted by North Georgia College. Sixth and seventh place finishers, Cadets Matt Fussell and Tony Salinero, led the team. The Citadel welcomed a new club sport in September. The Citadel Triathlon Team competed at the Jekyll Island Coca Cola Classic in October and the Optimist Boca Bop in November. Cadet Shawn Flanagan, who placed first at Jekyll Island, led the 15-18 age group while Cadets Ryan Kroll, Joseph Van Dyke, Peter Pistolis, Kyle Stephens, and Kevin Campbell led the team in the 19-24 age group. On September 1, Les Robinson, who won more basketball games than any other coach in Citadel history, returned to the college to serve as athletic director. Robinson came from N.C. State where he was athletic director. Women's soccer headed up by Coach Megan Hoban began practice August 30. The new team is composed of 11 female cadet-student-athletes, seven of whom are freshmen. Cadets Travis Stephens and Denny Haywood finished first and second in the Southern Conference football rankings for tackles this season. Cadet Johnnie Keen was named to the men's All-Southern Conference soccer team. In the Capital City Classic in Tallahassee, Fla., the basketball team won its first tournament in 23 years as senior Cadet Travis Cantrell captured the MVP Award while Cliff Washburn earned all-tournament honors. Ellis Johnson,'75, returns to his alma mater as the new head football coach. Johnson comes from the University of Alabama where he was defensive coordinator. Cadet Travis Stephens was named to Don Hansen's National Football Weekly Gazette's All-American team, The Sports Network's All-America Team and the NCAA I-AA Athletic Directors Association's Academic All-Star Team. Baseball is ranked 27th in the nation in Division I going into their season. Two players, Cadet Dallas McPherson and Cadet Philip Hartig, have been named to the preseason All-American teams. The Citadel will host the 2001 Southern Conference Men's and Women's Tennis Championships, in addition to hosting again the Wendy's/Pepsi-Cola Southern Conference Baseball Championship. These student-athletes, however, are not only skilled on the playing ground, they are skilled in the classroom. Forty-six percent of The Citadel's student-athletes, made the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (3.0 semester or 2.75 cumulative) for the fall semester. Nine students made a perfect 4.0, 29 earned Gold Stars, and 86 attained Dean's List status. In closing In closing, I would like to alert you to some activity in the South Carolina General Assembly that could impact your sons and daughters. Governor Jim Hodges has recommended an across-the-board cut of 15% in state funding to deal with an anticipated shortfall of revenue next year. While we won’t know the final budget figures until late spring, a cut of this magnitude has severe implications for The Citadel’s programs. In order to minimize the detrimental impact of a significant budget cut, I have instituted a hiring freeze to save money for next year. The Citadel is doing everything possible to convince legislators not to curtail state funding. Nevertheless, the budget cuts remain a real probability. If we are to maintain the quality of programs at The Citadel, we may be forced to increase tuition by more than the normal rate. While you need to be aware of this possibility, please be assured that we will do everything we can to maintain as much of our state funding as possible. I realize that a tuition increase will impose an extreme hardship on some of our students. While our financial aid program will continue to help as many eligible students as possible, I would like to point out that a healthy endowment remains the best solution to challenges posed by deficits in state funding. The Citadel Foundation, the new fundraising entity for the college, will need the support of all alumni, parents and friends of The Citadel as we try to address our funding problems. You will be hearing more about the activities of The Citadel Foundation in the near future. Thank you for your support of both The Citadel and the Corps of Cadets. Norwood and I look forward to seeing you soon.
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Sincerely, John
S. Grinalds |