The Citadel

The Citadel Military College of South Carolina^[6] (simply known as The Citadel) is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1842, it is the third oldest of the six senior military colleges in the United States. The Citadel was initially established as two schools to educate young men from around the state, while simultaneously protecting the South Carolina State Arsenals in both Columbia and Charleston.

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The Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Former name	South Carolina Military Academy
Motto	Honor • Duty • Respect
Type	Public senior military college
Established	1842; 182 years ago (1842)
Academic affiliations	Sea-grant
Endowment	$423.6 million (2021)[1]
President	GEN Glenn M. Walters, USMC (Ret.)
Provost	BG Sally C. Selden, SCM[2]
Commandant of Cadets	COL Thomas J. Gordon, USMC, (Ret.)[3]
Academic staff	225
Students	3,721[4]
Postgraduates	1,026
Location	Charleston , South Carolina , United States 32°47′50″N 79°57′40″W
Campus	Urban, 300 acres (121 ha)
Colors	Infantry blue and white[5]
Nickname	Bulldogs
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – SoCon
Mascot	Spike Live Mascots: General 3 (affectionately known as G3)
Website	citadel.edu

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Academics at The Citadel are divided into five schools: Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, and Mathematics. Bachelor's degrees are offered in 38 major programs of study with 55 minors. The military program is made up of cadets pursuing bachelor's degrees who live on campus. For traditional students, The Citadel offers non-military programs including 12 undergraduate degrees, 26 graduate degrees, as well as evening and online programs with seven online graduate degrees, three online undergraduate degrees, and three certificate programs.^[7][8][9] Approximately 1,495 non-cadet students are enrolled in Citadel Graduate College pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees.^{[10][7][8][9]}

The South Carolina Corps of Cadets makes up just over half the student body of the school and numbers 2,226.^[11][12] Cadet life is devised into a "class system" which focuses on the development of Cadets as both students and leaders. The Corps contains its own unique traditions, lexicon, and rank structures. One-third of graduates each year go into the armed services. All members of the Corps are required to participate in ROTC, with all branches’ (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard) training programs being represented.^[13] The Citadel Bulldogs field 7 men's, 5 women's teams, and 1 mixed team at the NCAA Division I level.^[14] All students, both cadets and non-cadets, are eligible to participate in Citadel athletic programs and there is a long history of cadet and non-cadet success on and off the sports fields. Citadel alumni (who were in the Corps of Cadets program) have followed West Point's example of terming themselves a "Long Gray Line" which includes numerous senators, governors, generals, athletes, and writers.

The Citadel traces its origins to an arsenal constructed by state authorities in South Carolina to defend white residents of Charleston, South Carolina against possible slave rebellions following Denmark Vesey's thwarted uprising of 1822.^[15][16][17] The school was founded by an act of the state legislature in 1842 as the South Carolina Military Academy. It originally consisted of the Citadel Academy in Charleston and the Arsenal Academy in Columbia. The Arsenal was burned by General Sherman's forces during the American Civil War and never reopened. The Citadel Academy was occupied by Union troops in 1865 and reopened as an educational institution in 1882. During the Civil War, the SCMA Corps of Cadets was organized into a military unit known as the Battalion of State Cadets which took part in nine engagements. In January 1861, Citadel Academy cadets manning a battery on Morris Island fired the first shots of the conflict when they shelled the Union steamship Star of the West which was attempting to resupply Fort Sumter. In December 1864, the cadet battalion made up more than a third of a Confederate force that defended a strategic rail line during the Battle of Tulifinny. The Citadel was awarded 9 battle streamers for service in the Civil War and is one of only 5 American colleges to receive a battle streamer for the participation of its student body in wartime service. The four other institutes are: VMI for the Battle of New Market, Florida State for the Battle of Natural Bridge, William and Mary for the Siege of Yorktown, and the University of Hawaii for the Hawaiian Islands Campaign.^[18]

In 1922, the school moved from its original location on Marion Square in downtown Charleston to a new campus on the banks of the Ashley River on the northwest side of the city. The Citadel has grown steadily from an enrollment of 460 to its present 3,500. During World War II, The Citadel had the highest percentage of any American college student body serving in the military and all but 346 of its living graduates were members of the armed forces.^[18] Alumni served as members of the Flying Tigers and Doolittle Raiders; 280 died in the service of their country. The first black cadet enrolled in 1966. The first woman to graduate from The Citadel, Maxine Hudson, received her degree from the graduate program in 1969. Maxine was a distinguished and beloved teacher in Charleston for over 50 years.^[19] In 1971 the first Native American (Oglala and Comanche) graduated.^[20] The first woman admitted to the Corps of Cadets program was Shannon Faulkner after a two-and-a-half-year court battle. She matriculated into The Citadel in 1995 with an otherwise all-male corps of cadets on August 15, 1995, but soon withdrew after she said she and her family received dozens of death threats and her parents' home was vandalized.^{[21][22][23][24]} In 1999, Nancy Mace became the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets program,^[25] receiving a degree in business administration.^[26] In 2018, The Citadel appointed the first female, Sarah Zorn, to lead the entire South Carolina Corps of Cadets as Regimental Commander.^[27]

A graduate program was started in 1968. A major capital improvement campaign started in 1989 saw the replacement or extensive renovation of a majority of the buildings on campus, academic offerings have been continuously expanded to offer in demand courses and degrees in fields such as Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Criminal Justice and Nursing.^[28] Citadel cadets and alumni have served in every United States military action from the Mexican War to the current Global War on Terrorism.^[29][30]

Undergraduate students desiring to join the South Carolina Corps of Cadets must meet physical fitness and SAT/ACT testing standards for acceptance. 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 during which there is enforced quiet time and all cadets are required to be in the barracks, library or academic buildings. Cadets may not be married and must live on campus in the barracks with their assigned company for all four years. Cadets are restricted to campus during the week, but are allowed general leave on weekends and have limited but gradually escalating privileges for weekend and overnight passes. The Corps of Cadets employs a Fourth Class System in which first-year students have few rights on campus, must recite quotations and school facts to upperclassmen on command, and must obey any legal order from an upper-class cadet.^[76] The Citadel emphasizes a strict disciplinary and physical fitness indoctrination for fourth-class cadets, who are sometimes called "knobs" because of the shaved heads of the males,^[77]: 93 which they previously had to maintain until the spring when they were then recognized as fourth-class cadets. The haircut policy changed starting with the 2019–2020 academic year, where fourth-class male cadets only have to shave their heads during their initial week but can otherwise have hair as long as Department of Defense regulations allow it.^[78]

First-year cadets arrive on campus before the start of the academic year for Challenge Week, a period of intense training and physical trials that is informally referred to as "Hell Week."^[79][80] According to The Citadel, the Fourth Class System "creates the discipline and instills the core values of Honor, Duty, and Respect which is expected of principled leaders in all walks of life. It is deliberately and appropriately stressful while always remaining positive, professional, and purposeful."^[81] Despite such assurances, Citadel administrators have had to take steps to eliminate hazing; the practice of hazing is defined and condemned in a Citadel manual, and cadets are required to sign a "Statement Requirement to Report Hazing" upon enrollment.^[82] As a Citadel commandant, Marine Corps. Col. Leo Mercado admonished cadets against hazing in 2009: "Some of the things you think are traditions are just bad habits, and most of those bad habits are abuse."^[82] Numerous first-year cadets have been abused and seriously injured under the Fourth Class System, and some faculty and alumni have called for the college to adopt a modern disciplinary system in line with the U.S. service academies.^[82][83][84]

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. Confinement is one hour spent in a cadet's room when they would normally be permitted to leave campus.

Included in The Citadel Graduate College are active duty Navy and Marine Corps enlisted personnel attending The Citadel under the Seaman To Admiral program (STA-21) and the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP), which originated at The Citadel in 1973.^[85]

Summerall Guards

Main article: The Summerall Guards

The Summerall Guards is a silent drill team consisting of 61 cadets chosen each spring from the junior class. Founded in 1932, the team performs a routine called The Citadel Series that has changed very little from its inception and has never been written down. The Guards have performed at numerous high-profile events around the United States, including four presidential inaugurations, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and at several NFL games.^[91]

The Citadel competes in NCAA Division I and has been a member of the Southern Conference since 1936; the school mascot is the Bulldog. Men's intercollegiate sports are football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, cross country, indoor and outdoor track, rifle, tennis, and golf; women's intercollegiate sports are volleyball, soccer, cross country, indoor and outdoor track, rifle, and golf. Numerous club sports include lacrosse, rugby, pistol, sailing, crew, ice hockey, and triathlon.

The Citadel Bulldogs baseball team has won 20 Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships, most recently in 2010; 43 players have been selected in the MLB draft^[97] The 1990 team won the Atlantic Regional, earning the school its first trip to the College World Series (CWS) 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, recently retired Head Coach Fred Jordan '79 is the school and conference's winningest with 831 victories.^[98]

The football team has won four Southern Conference Championships and appeared in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs five times; the 1960 team defeated Tennessee Tech 27–0 in the Tangerine Bowl.^[99] The 1992 squad went 11–2 and finished the regular season ranked #1 in the I-AA poll.^[100] The 2015 team recorded nine wins including a victory over South Carolina and four players were named to All-America teams. The 2016 squad had a 10-game win streak and won the outright Conference Championship. As of 2010 the football program had a graduation success rate of 90% compared to the Division I average of 65% ^[101] Several alumni have played in the professional ranks including wide receiver and All-Pro return specialist Andre Roberts of the Los Angeles Chargers; cornerback Cortez Allen recently played five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fullback Nehemiah Broughton played with the Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants; fullback Travis Jervey was an All-Pro and member of the 1996 Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers; kicker Greg Davis had a 12-year career with several teams including Arizona and the Atlanta Falcons. ESPN color commentator Paul Maguire was a tight end and punter for three AFL champions with the Buffalo Bills and former St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals running back Lyvonia "Stump" Mitchell has been a head coach at two Division I colleges and served as an NFL assistant for Seattle, Washington, Arizona and the New York Jets. Current NFL players also include cornerback Dee Delaney of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and wide receiver Raleigh Webb of the New England Patriots.

The wrestling team has sent 68 members to the NCAA tournament and produced four All-Americans.

Completed in 2005, the Inouye Marksmanship Center is utilized by cadets, law enforcement and the South Carolina National Guard. The Citadel Bulldogs rifle team has won four national championships (two team and two individual);^[102] Cadet Stephen Bowden was the 2013 National Individual Pistol Champion^[103]

For the 2018–19 school year seven of the 13 sports team had a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1,000; five of the remaining six were well above the multi year threshold score of 930.^[104]

The Citadel sits on a 300-acre (120 ha) tract of land on the Ashley River just to the northwest of downtown Charleston. There are 27 buildings, built in a Spanish Moorish style, grouped around a 10-acre (4.0 ha) grass parade ground. The buildings around the parade ground include ten classroom buildings, an administration building, five barracks, mess hall, a student activities building, chapel, library, a yacht club, a marksmanship center, a field house, faculty/staff housing area, and various support facilities including a laundry, cadet store, tailor shop, and power plant. The campus is bounded to the west by the Ashley River, to the north by the Wagener Terrace neighborhood, to the east by Hampton Park and the Hampton Park Terrace neighborhood, and to the South by the Westside Neighborhood.

Just off the main campus are Johnson Hagood Stadium, a baseball stadium, and an alumni center. Additionally, the college owns a large beach house facility located near the north end of the Isle of Palms.^[110]

Summerall Chapel

Main article: Summerall Chapel

The Summerall Chapel, designed by C.R. MacDonald, was started on September 7, 1936, and dedicated on Palm Sunday, April 10, 1938. The first services, however, were held in the chapel on September 19, 1937.^[113] The chapel was named in honor of Citadel president General Charles Pelot Summerall.^[114] Inside, there is a set of 30 stained glass windows designed by H.G. Wilbert depicting the life of Jesus Christ which were executed by the Pittsburgh Stained Glass Studios in the 13th century Gothic style.^[115] A $1 million (equivalent to $2.83 million in 2023)^[36] repair program was developed for the chapel in 1985.^[116]

In June 2015, the school's Board of Visitors voted in favor of moving a Confederate naval jack from the chapel to what was called "an appropriate location on campus."^[117] As of September 2017^[update], the flag had not yet been removed, nor had an "appropriate location" been selected.^[118]

Campus landmarks

HMS Seraph Monument

Located next to Mark Clark Hall at the northeast corner of Summerall Field, this uniquely shaped monument contains artifacts from the British submarine HMS Seraph, which carried then Major General Mark Clark to a secret landing in Algeria before the Allied landings in the North African Campaign of World War II to negotiate a surrender of the Vichy French forces; the vessel was also involved in Operation Mincemeat, a covert operation which succeeded in convincing the Germans that the allies intended to invade Sardinia, not Sicily. The memorial honors Anglo-American friendship and cooperation during World War II and is the only shore location in the United States authorized by the UK Ministry of Defence to fly the Royal Navy Ensign.^{[124][125][126]}

Howie Bell Tower and Carillon

Standing next to Summerall Chapel and built-in 1954, this structure honors one of the school's most revered alumni, US Army Major Thomas D. Howie, Class of 1929, who served as Commander of 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division in the Normandy Campaign during World War II and was immortalized as "The Major of St Lo". Killed in action during the liberation of St. Lo, France, he was so respected that his flag-draped body was carried on the hood of a Jeep at the head of the column of troops so he could be accorded the honor of being the first American to enter the city. A photo of his body placed in the rubble of the St. Croix Cathedral came to symbolize the courage and sacrifice of US forces in the European Theater. The tower carillon is one of the largest in the Western Hemisphere, containing 59 bronze bells cast at the Royal Bergen Foundry in the Netherlands.^[127]

The Citadel War Memorial

Located in front of both the Howie Bell Tower and General Mark Clark's grave is the Citadel War Memorial. Dedicated in 2017 and built in a circular shape with walls of black granite and gates of wrought iron, the memorial features the 759 names of Citadel Alumni killed in all US wars, from the Mexican-American War to modern conflicts. ^[128]

General Mark Clark Gravesite

Lying between Mark Clark Hall and Summerall Chapel is the burial plot of US Army General Mark Wayne Clark who served as Citadel President from 1954 to 1965 and President Emeritus until he died in 1984. The youngest Lieutenant General in the United States Army during World War II (age 46), Clark served as General Dwight Eisenhower's deputy during the "Operation Torch" landings in North Africa, then commanded the 5th Army in the Italian campaign liberating Rome in June 1944. He later served as Commanding General of the 15th Army Group and in 1952 was appointed by President Truman as Supreme Commander of UN forces in Korea.

The Citadel Ring Statue

Located at the southeast corner of the parade ground near Lesesne Gate, the main entrance to campus is a giant replica of The Citadel ring, recognized as the most important and treasured symbol of a graduate. It was a gift to The Citadel Alumni Association from Palmetto Balfour, the current supplier of the official Citadel class rings.^[129]

Monuments to the armed forces

On the parade ground are monuments dedicated to each of the military services and honoring the contributions of Citadel alumni to the military. They include a Marine landing craft (LVT-H-6); an Army Sherman Tank (M4A3); an Air Force fighter jet (F-4C Phantom II); an AH-1 "Cobra" helicopter gunship and an anchor from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea. A United States Coast Guard Bell serves as a monument to Citadel graduates who have lost their lives upon the sea.^[124]

The Citadel has produced distinguished alumni in a variety of career fields. Well known graduates include former U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Langhorne A. Motley, longtime U.S. Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, best-selling authors Pat Conroy and Robert Jordan,^[130] football commentator Paul Maguire, NFL player and coach Stump Mitchell, Space Shuttle astronaut and International Space Station Commander Colonel Randy Bresnik, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Andre Roberts and the Commander of U.S. Central Command General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.^[131] Notable alumni include 6 governors, 3 U.S. senators, 12 congressmen, the presidents of 47 colleges and universities, the Director of the U.S. Olympic Committee and many professional athletes.^[132]

Approximately 35% of cadet graduates are commissioned as officers into the military, another 10% go directly to graduate programs;^[133] alumni currently serve in all five military services. Over the years, 299 Citadel alumni have reached the top ranks in the military by becoming flag officers (Generals, Admirals or Commodore), ten have served as a state Adjutant General.^[134] Nine alumni have served as pilots with the two U.S. military flight demonstration units, the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels; graduates have served as commanders of both squadrons.^[135][136] Alumni also serve in the military services of foreign countries including six 4 Star Generals from Thailand and the head of Jordan's Security Forces.^[132]

Citadel alumni were killed in action during the Mexican–American War (6), 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 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan (22).^[137]

• A thinly veiled depiction of The Citadel provides the background for Calder Willingham's novel End as a Man (1947) and the film adaptation, The Strange One (1957).^[138]
• Pat Conroy's 1980 novel The Lords of Discipline was based on Conroy's experience as a cadet at The Citadel during the 1960s and on his research of other military schools. 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 name starring David Keith and Robert Prosky in 1983. Conroy also wrote about his experiences at the Citadel in his memoir My Losing Season (2002).^[139]