Admissions SOP for West Point Societies

USMA FIELD FORCE

Within every three-digit zip code area, the Admissions Office has a designated and trained Zip Area Coordinator (ZAC) who is responsible for tying together all efforts directed at local high schools and candidates competing for USMA. Any help that can be provided to spread the word about West Point and the Army in local areas is sought. West Point Societies(WPS) can do a number of things to assist Admissions recruiting efforts. However, any effort should be coordinated with the local Admissions ZAC.

Since there are fewer Societies than zip areas, a first step in working with the local Admissions-trained Field Force is to have a member of the Society designated as Field Force Liaison. This member’s primary responsibility would be incorporating the support needed to assist the Field Force effort in spreading the word about West Point. In most cases, this will involve working with multiple ZACs. As with any military operation, the primary purpose of this is unity of effort so that all are speaking with one voice concerning candidate matters in the local area.

While most of our Reserve Military Academy Liaison Officers and ZACs are West Point graduates, many are not. Inviting these critical individuals to join the local West Point Society as adjunct members would allow them to interact frequently with the Society officers and develop West Point contacts for candidates, educators, Congressional staffs, etc.

Although societies vary in size, the intensity of their schedules, and their resources, there are some very specific items that can be accomplished that would greatly assist the efforts of West Point Admissions. While many of these seem obvious, unless they are incorporated into the local Field Force class recruiting plan, societies’ efforts run the risk of becoming distracters rather than force multipliers.

SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP PARTICIPATION

Perhaps the most important area where a Society can assist the local Field Force is by recruiting West Pointers from the Society ranks to work directly with the Admissions effort. Who better to talk about the West Point and Army opportunities than a graduate, whether it’s at a college fair, during a school career day, addressing the freshmen in the local high school, or speaking to local civic organizations? Any effort that puts more people directly into the initial contact with candidates, parents, or other influencers is time well spent.

Our goal is to put either a Field Force or staff member from the West Point Admissions Office into every high school in the country once every four years. With 30,000 high schools in America, this is an ambitious goal. Even though we send a mailing to every high school in the country twice a year, nothing beats a person whom the local counseling staff can contact when they either have students interested in West Point or need someone to talk to groups of students about West Point or service to the Country as an Army officer. This personal contact also provides a means of communicating with students whom we pick up as juniors on the national talent searches we buy from various sources. If every living West Pointer adopted the high school closest to him or her and dedicated some time each semester to spreading the word in a world that doesn’t know about the West Point opportunity, the job of the USMA Admissions Office would be much easier.

SOCIETY AWARDS PROGRAMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

A successful program that several Societies now run annually and that dovetails nicely with the school contact is an award, sponsored by the Society, to the junior in each local high school who epitomizes what West Point represents. This type of award can be based on the same characteristics that we look for: leadership, character, scholarship, and athletics. The students should be selected by the faculty and nominated for the award based on criteria established by the Society. A side benefit of this program is advertising the Invitational Academic Workshop (IAW) simultaneously to stimulate interest in a very productive program for West Point.

The AOG Office of Organizational Support can assist with creating award certificates at cost. To request assistance with award certificates contact:

Office of Organizational Support, AOG
society-support@aogusma.org
1-800-BE-A-Grad, ext. 1612

CONGRESSIONAL NOMINATING COMMITTEES

Another important area where Societies can provide assistance is with the local Congressional office and their selection committee for nominees. This is a method that allows direct input on the candidates who are nominated from your local area. Most members of Congress who use a selection committee want Academy graduates to assist in the selection process.

SOCIETY RESOURCES

Assistance with mailings or emails to graduates in the local area is helpful to the Field Force & Admissions staff. Some society members may also be able to assist by offering the use of high-quality facilities and equipment to the local Field Force when they sponsor candidate meetings or educator and Field Force Workshops. For those societies that can afford it, the designation of funds for the Field Force to use in conducting necessary Admissions events is also an option.

ADMITTED CANDIDATE MEETING

A specific event that some Societies have hosted in the last decade is an admitted candidate meeting in conjunction with Founder’s Day. This is especially productive when a speaker from the Academy will be present. Some societies run the meeting before Founder’s Day as a separate event, while others invite the admitted candidates to participate in the Founder’s Day meal and festivities. The Admissions Office has found that these are very positive experiences for both candidates and their parents. The Admissions Office works closely with a Society point-of-contact and its Field Force to ensure that the appropriate candidates are invited in a timely manner.

SPONSORSHIP OF ADMITTED CANDIDATE'S VISIT TO WEST POINT

Some admitted candidates have a hard time funding a candidate orientation visit to West Point. This is a very successful program for Admissions as it allows those who have been offered admission to live the life of a plebe for 30 hours during the academic year. This trip is critical to many candidates and assists them in making a better decision in their choice of college. Either donating frequent flyer miles or buying partial or full airfare for this type of candidate is a good investment.

OTHER ITEMS WITH WHICH SOCIETIES CAN HELP:

USMA ADMISSIONS OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION

While this is certainly not an all-inclusive list, it provides a start for establishing a formal relationship with the Admissions Office for those societies that want to help.

Command Group Information
Director, COL Michael Jones
845-938-5706
Exec Officer: 5710
Internet: xx0000@exmail.usma.edu
DAD Main Switchboard: 845-938-4041
West Point DSN: 688-XXXX
Off-Post DSN: 9-8-XXX-XXXX

ODIA/Congressional Liaison
845-938-5723, 5747
845-938-7608 (fax)

Minority Recruiting
845-938-5720, 5727

Prep Programs Regional Commander
845-938-5780, 6506

The six geographic regions in which we work are broken down as follows:

• Northeast: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware
   
  845-938-5721, 5723, 7580
  845-938-3021 (fax)

• Southeast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia
   
  845-938-5726, 5729, 5734
  845-938-3021 (fax)

• Great Lakes: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin
   
  845-938-5728, 4809, 5755
  845-845-7906

• Southwest: Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas
   
  845-938-5717, 5756, 7579
  845-938-3021 (fax)

• Far West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
   
  845-938-5719, 5736, 5732
  845-938-3021 (fax)

The telephone numbers are for the officers (Regional Commanders) who recruit candidates and train the Admissions Field Force in each region. While the names will change over the years, that numbers will not, and they provide your initial entry into support of the Admissions effort.

Both the AOG and USMA Admissions believe that this is important work for the country and can think of no more noble purpose for a West Point Society than recruiting great young Americans with the same motivation, intelligence, and value sets as those West Pointers who make up the societies around the country.

The Admissions Office realizes that this is a two-way street. Channels of communication must be maintained by all in trying to recruit the very best talent to become the platoon leaders for American’s soldiers. In places where West Point Societies and Parents Clubs work hand-in-glove with our local ZACs, the USMA Admissions effort enjoys great success.

The bottom line is: West Point Societies are valued additions to the Admissions team; they fly the colors of West Point and the Army all the time.