Superintendent’s Update

 

 

 

LTG Franklin Hagenbeck ‘71 made the following points during his update.  (See slides.)

 

  • West Point is healthy and you shouldn’t expect any major changes.

 

  • Recent changes to Mission.  Graduates will leave here inspired to enter the Army and lead Soldiers, not ambivalent about an Army career.

 

  • Staff & faculty is linked with “big” Army, providing research & development; resources; values; authors.

 

  • Class of 2006 Demographics.  41% selected an additional active duty obligation, and will serve for at least eight years.

 

  • Class of 2010 Demographics.  Includes 27 combat veterans, 711 team captains, 88 valedictorians, 14% women.  Only 58 of original 1,311 have quit.

 

  • West Point is in the Fight.  400 staff & faculty deployments to date.

 

  • Professional Military Ethic Education.  Character education via the Simon Center is significantly funded by the AOG.

 

  • Moral Ethical Standards.  You cannot rationalize unethical behavior, either at My Lai or in Iraq.  When do you become an ethical leader?  You should begin as a cadet.

 

  • Expectations of Cadets.  They must accept accountability for their actions and those of others.

 

  • Cadet Summer Training emphasizes “big” Army tasks.

 

  • Cadet Advanced Training with the Army. Included 106 cadets with units in Korea and 48 in Germany.

 

  • Cadet Clubs .  We have 116 clubs; thank you, AOG, for your support. Army clubs have an 80% winning percentage over Navy.

 

  • Intercollegiate Athletic Teams.  We owe our recent recruiting successes and upswing in athletic competition to the AOG.

 

  • Advanced Individual Academic Development Program across the nation and around the world is fully funded by donations.

 

  • Support for Army, Department of Defense, and Federal Government.  We do a lot of it, and we haven’t publicized these contributions enough.

 

  • Special Topics.  We are determined not have an honor or sexual assault scandal, and we practice religious tolerance.

 

  • Football recruited 62 players who form the best recruited class in a long time.  Many had football scholarships from other schools, and some plebes may be good enough to contribute this season.  Texas A & M is a “home” game in San Antonio and will be a money maker for us.

 

  • The following significant topics arose during the question and answer session.

 

  • Alcohol policy: If a cadet is 21 years of age, he/she may drink in a sponsor’s home, at the First Class Club or at the West Point Club.  Some cadets have gotten in trouble, but the Corps has accepted responsibility for policing their own ranks.  The Commandant described the 0-0-1-3 policy:  Zero toleration of driving under the influence or underage drinking; one drink per hour; and a maximum of three drinks in an evening.

 

  • Locking the doors of cadet rooms is simply a matter of taking logical precautions to protect our soldiers.  The Commandant added that when he appeared before Congress, it was emphasized that sexual abuse/assault is not merely a leadership problem, it is a criminal act that will be punished.

 

  • Final message: The Academy is in great shape.  A logical question is, “Should we be marketing ourselves to the public?”  West of the Mississippi and even in places on the east coast, Americans know West Point only in terms of the Army-Navy game.  Because of this, another question is, “Who are we NOT getting as a cadet candidate?”