President's Report to Alumni
10-October 2009
The Citadel’s Board of Visitors met this past week and I would like to provide you the highlights.
In my remarks to the board I welcomed our new commandant, Col Leo Mercado USMC (ret.), Class of 1979, and Col Christopher “Hawk” Moore, USAF (ret.), Class of 1981. It is the first time in about 15 years that the president, commandant and assistant commandant for discipline are all graduates. Col Mercado and Col Moore bring a wealth of experience to their positions and I look forward to working with them to advance our leadership development.
I hold high hopes for this year’s Top 9. They are the first cadet leadership team Donna and I have known since they were freshmen, and we have enjoyed watching their growth as leaders. Based on my meetings with them, and seeing how they approach their duties, I am confident they will set and achieve high standards for the Corps.
Leadership development is something we continue to stress as we review the progress cadets make as they move from being knobs to seniors. It has become clear to us that sophomores must be more completely integrated into the Corps – they may no longer be knobs but they often demonstrate difficulty transitioning to positions of responsible leadership. Juniors present the most behavioral issues, with more disciplinary cases and more instances of cut classes than the other years. We want our cadets to succeed and are investigating solutions to these challenges.
Athletic Director Larry Leckonby noted the continuing success of our cadet-student-athletes in the classroom. The Southern Conference has published its Honor Roll for 2008-2009, and 148 of our 321 (46.1%) cadet-student-athletes have earned a place on the honor roll with a 3.0 GPA or better for the year. And eight cadet-student-athletes completed the year with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
I am happy to report that The Citadel Foundation remains on track to reach its annual $20 million goal. However, planned giving, such as bequests, make up a larger portion of the total than in years past. Considering the downturn in the economy, this is to be expected, but we are reaping less in cash in annual giving at the same time the state of South Carolina is reducing The Citadel’s appropriation. Last year we absorbed a 24% cut, and this year we have already seen another 4% cut from the state appropriation. South Carolina historically has been slow to recover economically, so I am not expecting a restoration of the state appropriation to previous levels.
Having lost $4.4 million annually in state appropriations, The Citadel is forced to review every aspect of its operation to ensure we continue to provide the education and leadership experience our students and their families expect while doing so within our means. It’s my opinion that higher education has not been sufficiently challenged to operate as a business – we must provide a compelling educational option in a cost-effective manner.
During a “Town Hall” meeting with faculty and staff I told them that I am managing The Citadel as a business, which requires we have a plan for moving forward. I urge you to go online and review the Blueprint, our strategic plan that identifies our objectives and prioritizes resources to achieve them: http://www.citadel.edu/blueprint/. Every week I am challenging staff to focus on our strategic initiatives and not accept old thinking which distracts us from achieving our goals.
COL Sue Mitchell, vice president for finance and business affairs, reported the college will receive a total of $4.2 million in federal stimulus funding over the next two years. The stimulus funding will be used for such non-recurring expenses as facility renovation and technology acquisition. For a complete list of the projects to receive stimulus funding, go to the college’s Budget Update web page: http://www.citadel.edu/budget-news/.
The Board of Visitors also approved the following action items:
- Name the School of Engineering conference room for Mr. Bernard K. Gordon
- Name the Jenkins Hall foyer for General Hugh P. Harris, USA.
- Nominate Col Myron Harrington, USMC (ret.) for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Distinguished Citizen award.
To close, I’d like to share some exciting news regarding one of the emblems of The Citadel. During the meeting the Board of Visitors approved The Citadel Alumni Association moving forward with its efforts to bring from Iowa the flag we believe to be the original Big Red, seen here:
Note this flag, along with its color, differs from the state flag of South Carolina in that the crescent faces inward and the palmetto is of a different design.
The CAA has done extensive research to prove this flag, captured by Union Troops in Alabama and stored in Iowa since 1912, was the flag that flew over a battery of Citadel cadets on Morris Island who on January 9, 1861 fired at the supply ship Star of the West as it approached Fort Sumter, forcing the ship to turn around.
We hope the state of Iowa agrees to loan the flag to the CAA, which will house it proudly at the Holliday Alumni Center.
As we look ahead many challenges remain before us, but we are committed to securing the future of our college. We will make the difficult decisions that will reshape and strengthen our organization. But we will need your help. The support of loyal alumni helps ensure our continued success at achieving excellence in the education of principled leaders.
Thank you again for all you do on behalf of The Citadel.