The Citadel

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award was presented to Cadet Olivia Jones during The Citadel virtual commencement on May 9. The awards are presented annually through the New York Southern Society to a student and faculty member in recognition of high thought and noble endeavor. Cadet Olivia Jones is an Honors Program student, majoring in Political Science with a concentration in Military Affairs. Jones also serves as the Papa Company Commander, maintaining company morale while also adhering to the highest ethical standards. Jones has demonstrated her commitment as a servant-leader throughout her time at The Citadel, creating a Summer Food Service Program providing 3,700 meals to low-income families, promoting quality of life initiatives for Native American families in New Mexico, and providing community training for the most vulnerable in those communities.

The Class of 2020 voted to award the John O. Willson Ring to Cadet Col. Richard "Ben" Snyder, regimental commander for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Snyder is a Business Administration major from Powell, Ohio. The John O. Willson Ring has been awarded annually since 1911 to a senior elected by their peers as the finest, purest and most courteous member of the class. Because of his outstanding leadership abilities, Snyder was selected to serve as Regimental Commander, responsible for the success and well being of 2,300 cadets. Academically, Snyder has excelled, earning Dean's List recognition for all eight semesters. He is a distinguished military graduate and will enter the Army as an officer, where his first assignment is to attend the Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course in Fort Benning, Georgia.

The David Shingler Spell First and Second Honor Graduates are the two cadets whose grade-point averages are the highest in each graduating class, based on the total college record of that class. Recipients of the awards receive a plaque and a stipend for educational expenses at the graduate level.

Nearly 400 graduate and evening undergraduate students from The Citadel Graduate College (CGC) accepted degrees during The Citadel's virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9. The Citadel Class of 2020 was celebrated for their achievements during two virtual commencement ceremonies, one for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets and one for the CGC. Both can be viewed on the college's Facebook page and on a special commencement website. Part of the virtual commencement celebrations included creating a webpage for each graduate, where they and their loved ones can share messages. In total, more than 6,000 messages were left on the commencement profile pages. Included in the ceremony: 307 Master's Degree students 92 College Transfer Students (Undergraduate/evening or online)

Nearly 600 members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets accepted diplomas during The Citadel's virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9. In addition to graduating, about 30% of the class accepted commissions as U.S. military officers in all branches of service. The Citadel Class of 2020 was celebrated for their achievements during two virtual commencement ceremonies. Both can be viewed on the college's Facebook page and on a special commencement website. Part of the virtual commencement celebrations included creating a webpage for each graduate, where they and their loved ones can share messages. In total, more than 6,000 messages were left on the commencement profile pages. To view an example of a graduate page, click here to see the profile for Richard "Ben" Snyder, the 2019-20 Regimental Commander. By the numbers, the ceremony included: 590 cadets from 33 states Approximately 210 cadets are earning commissions in all branches of U.S. Armed Forces to become new officers. These ceremonies were also virtual, managed by each ROTC branch. 26 veteran students 4 active duty students

During their time at The Citadel, the ROTC departments provide military-contract cadets with officer training, to allow them to begin their military careers as officers after graduation. Through the departments, which include Air Force ROTC, Army ROTC, Marines ROTC and Navy ROTC, The Citadel is one of the nation's proven producers of top military leaders. Annually, the departments nominate their finest cadets and active duty students for awards. The award recipients are normally honored as a group in McAlister Field House. Even though the ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19, The Citadel wants to give these outstanding cadets the recognition they deserve.

During normal times, the changing of the guard ceremony would have taken place on this day as part of the annual Corps Day/Recognition Day weekend ceremonies. The Class of 2020 Summerall Guards would have performed their last precision drills as a unit and then passed their rifles to the new platoon. Because on this day, the Class of 2021 Summerall Guards would have performed for the first time, but cannot due to the campus closure related to COVID-19, the college wanted to recognize them by announcing their names.

The campus may be closed, and the South Carolina Corps of Cadets may be spread across the country - but that doesn't stop The Citadel's mission. Each year, around Corps Day/Recognition Day weekend, The Office of the Commandant announces the next group of cadets who will lead the corps for the upcoming year. Despite the interruptions to campus life, The Citadel is carrying on its traditions. The top leadership positions in the South Carolina Corps of Cadets for 2020-21: Nicholas Piacentini - Regimental Commander From Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania and majoring in Political Science Caleb Williams - Deputy Regimental Commander From Summerville, SC and majoring in Mechanical Engineering William Rowe - Regimental XO From Sumter, SC and majoring in Business Administration Harrison Hemminghaus - Honor Board Chair From Blythewood, SC and majoring in Political Science Matthew Dittrich - Regimental Academic Officer From Lawrenceville, GA and majoring in Physics Caleb Moseley - 1st Battalion Commander From Travelers Rest, SC and majoring in Criminal Justice Ansley Pantsari - 2nd Battalion Commander From Augusta, GA and majoring in Biology Noah Hammond - 3rd Battalion Commander From Raleigh, NC and majoring in Political Science Carson Adams - 4th Battalion Commander From Chapin, SC and majoring in Accounting Patrick Kress - 5th Battalion Commander From Greenville, SC and majoring in Chemistry and Business Administration Grayson Gasque - Sergeant Major From Anderson, SC and majoring in Biology

The dean's list is a recognition given to cadets and students who are registered for 12 or more semester hours and whose grade point average is 3.20 or higher, with no grade of I (Incomplete) and no grade below C for work in a semester.

The President's List is one of the most distinguished cadet awards presented by The Citadel. The list is a combination of the dean's list and the Commandant's Distinguished List and is composed of cadets who contribute the most to their companies while maintaining excellent military and academic records.

Gold stars were awarded to cadets and students at The Citadel who achieved a 3.7 grade point average or higher in the fall 2019 semester. Cadets and students who achieve gold star recognition are also placed on The Citadel's dean's list.

A Citadel cadet recruit, Max Zappendorf, earned some extra support to help fund his pursuit of an education that will lead to a military career in cyber security and intelligence. Zappendorf was awarded the Marci McCarthy Scholarship for cyber security studies through the International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals (ICMCP). The organization supports the representation of women and minorities in cyber security professions. Zappendorf, who is from Dawsonville, Georgia, is a freshman attending The Citadel through a U.S. Army ROTC scholarship. He applied for the additional ICMCP scholarship prior attending The Citadel. "I am very thankful to have this additional support and am thrilled I was selected," Zappendorf said. "My goal is to combine cyber security and intelligence studies with Chinese to gain skills that will be in high demand." During a conference in Atlanta in mid-September, ICMCP recognized Zappendorf and eight other college students from across the country who earned different cyber securities scholarships through the organization.

In early December, each of the 10 teams were given five minutes to present their business ideas to a panel of business experts. After the teams pitched their ideas, the judges were given ten minutes to ask questions. The final business ideas include: traffic-controlling robots, an app to help 18-wheelers navigate restricted roads, a robot to help officials inspect bridges, a machine to recycle water filters, and a multi-functional 3D printing device. The Baker Business Bowl is a program aimed at helping budding entrepreneurs who have an idea for a new product or service, and the desire to turn that idea into a business. The competition is open to cadets, evening undergraduate students, and graduate students. The final round of the Baker Business Bowl VI will be on April 16

Cadet Paul Rhyne II is among the top ten Army ROTC cadets in the nation, and "above the best" according Maj. Gen. John Evans, commanding general at the U.S. Army Cadet Command. As part of an annual video countdown of the top ten cadets, Army ROTC command announced on November 16 that Rhyne is #7. Rhyne will accept an Army commission to become an officer prior to graduating in May and is being assigned to the aviation branch. He is a pre-med Biology major from Irmo, South Carolina where he attended Dutch Fork High School. Rhyne is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society, the Pre-Med Society and The Citadel Flying Club. He has earned gold stars for academic excellence while at The Citadel among other honors, and serves as a cadet officer. Each fall, the U.S. Army Cadet Command selects ten college seniors for its national order-of-merit list. Rhyne's accomplishment marks the third consecutive year an Army ROTC cadet from the South Carolina Corps of Cadets has earned a slot in the top ten. In 2018, Cadet Matthew Wilder earned the #2 position and in 2017 Robert Weigand was #8. The order-of-merit list is compiled based on several criteria including grade point average, performance on the Army Physical Fitness Test, college athletic participation and performance during college ROTC training and Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, according to the command website.

Climate change, student loan forgiveness, freedom of speech on social media and more - these are just some of the topics discussed by students competing in the Southeast Regional Ethics Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida in early November. Hundreds of students across the United States and Canada compete in 12 regional Ethics Bowl competitions each fall, and the winners from those regional competitions will gather for the national competition later in the academic year. Four of those competitors will be Citadel cadets - William Hope, Akhil Prathipati, Eric Skinner and Harrison Wedgeworth.

The Office of the Commandant has named the cadet leadership for The Citadel's 2019-20 academic year. Raymond Sullivan of Cairo, GA is among that group of cadet leaders, serving as the 2019-20 E Company Commander. Annually, rising leadership is announced for the top student officers, including battalion sergeant majors, company commanders and company first sergeants.

The President's List is one of the most distinguished cadet awards presented by The Citadel. The list is a combination of the dean's list and the Commandant's Distinguished List and is composed of cadets who contribute the most to their companies while maintaining excellent military and academic records.

The dean's list is a recognition given to cadets and students who are registered for 12 or more semester hours and whose grade point average is 3.20 or higher, with no grade of I (Incomplete) and no grade below C for work in a semester.

For the first time, graduates from The Citadel are holding Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. Twenty one of the nation's newest nurses particiated in the college's commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 4. The group of 20 evening undergraduates, and one cadet nursing student, share the honor of making history for the college as the inaugural nursing class. Before graduating, the class took part in the college's first Nurse Pinning Ceremony on Thursday, May 2, in Buyer Auditorium on campus. The ceremony is a long standing tradition in the nursing industry and represents a symbolic welcoming of new nurses into the profession.

Gold stars were awarded to cadets and students at The Citadel who achieved a 3.7 grade point average or higher in the spring 2019 semester. Cadets and students who achieve gold star recognition are also placed on The Citadel's dean's list.

Nearly 20 of the Navy's newest officers took their commissioning oaths just before graduating from the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Members of the Class of 2019 going into the Navy were recognized at a commissioning ceremony on Friday, May 3 in Summerall Chapel. Every year, the commencement ceremony for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets is held the day after the commissioning ceremonies. Approximately 35% of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets Class of 2019 are now officers in all branches of the United States Armed Forces.

Twenty eight of the Marine Corps' newest officers will come from the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Members of the Class of 2019 going into the Marines took their commissioning oaths on Friday, May 3 in Summerall Chapel. Every year, the commencement ceremony for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets is held the day after the commissioning ceremonies. Approximately 35% of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets Class of 2019 are now officers in all branches of the United States Armed Forces.

Nearly three dozen of the Air Force's newest officers will come from the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. 34 members of the Class of 2019 took their commissioning oaths on Friday, May 3 in Summerall Chapel. Every year, the commencement ceremony for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets is held the day after the commissioning ceremonies. Approximately 35% of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets Class of 2019 are now officers in all branches of the United States Armed Forces.

ROTC programs produce almost 70% of the officers that enter the Army each year, and more than 100 of them will come from The Citadel in 2019. Most of the 104 members of the Class of 2019 who accepted Army commissions participated in the commissioning ceremony held on Friday, May 3 in McAlister Field House. A small number will accept their commissions later in the year after completing summer training. Every year, the commencement ceremony for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets is held the day after the commissioning ceremonies. Approximately 35% of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets Class of 2019 are now officers in all branches of the United States Armed Forces.

Nearly 450 members of The Citadel Graudate College accepted diplomas during The Citadel's commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 4 in McAlister Field House. That number includes 350 who received a master's degree and 98 who earned a bachelor's degree. Graduates accepted their diploma from Citadel alumnus Gen. Glenn W. Walters, USMC (Ret.), who was officiating as president for the first time. The top graduate programs for the Class of 2019 included a education, business administration and project management. The top evening undergraduate programs for the graduating class included business administration, nursing and electrical engineering.

More than 500 members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets accepted diplomas during The Citadel's commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 4 in McAlister Field House. About 35% of the class accepted commmissions as U.S. military officers in all branches of service just prior to graduation. Graduates accepted their diploma from Citadel alumnus Gen. Glenn W. Walters, USMC (Ret.), who was officiating as president for the first time. The top academic programs for the Class of 2019 included business administration, criminal justice, mechanical engineering, civil engineering and political science.

Cadet Lt. Col. Mitchell Felt presented with the General Douglas MacArthur Cadet of the Year Award.

Cadet Col. Sarah Zorn was awarded the Society of the Cincinnati Medal during the final parade in February.

Three teams, made up of 11 cadets, particiated in the annual Math Jeopardy Contest for Freshmen. The topics covered in the competition included: Lazy Day Limits, Allegedly Difficult Antiderivatives, Intriguing Intervals, and Continuity Curiosities.

Two cadets and two students represented The Citadel's nursing program at The South Carolina Student Nurses Association. Three of those from The Citadel were also elected to serve on the board of the association.