Coming up this month at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina: Seniors will finally get their band of gold…Students fan out across the Lowcountry for Leadership Day…Plus, an assistant professor of mathematics unpacks what makes a good prediction.

Here are the events to put on your calendar.

Hosting an event you’d like to in a future Upcoming News article? Let us know by reaching out to ocm@citadel.edu.

MUSC Day at The Citadel

Thursday, Oct. 8
4-7 p.m.
Bastin Hall, The Citadel Campus
Free, open to the public

MUSC Day is for students of every major who are interested in exploring careers in health care. Learn about undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, admissions requirements, prerequisites, application preparation and opportunities for research and clinical experience.

Whether you’re interested in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, physician assistant studies, physical therapy or occupational therapy, or if you’re drawn to non-clinical fields such as health administration, health care quality, health informatics and more, MUSC Day offers a chance to explore the possibilities.

Meet directly with representatives from MUSC, ask questions about programs and career paths, and discover opportunities that fit your interests and goals. Admissions teams and representatives from all six Medical University of South Carolina colleges will be in attendance.

Parents’ Weekend 2026

Friday, Oct. 9 – Sunday, Oct. 11
The Citadel campus
More information on each day’s schedule can be found at this link.

From the presentation of class rings for seniors to the moment freshmen receive their company letters, family and friends of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets are invited to return to campus from Friday, Oct. 9 – Sunday, Oct. 11 to witness these milestones and take part in some of The Citadel’s most familiar traditions.

The weekend’s highlights include a Ring Presentation Ceremony for The Citadel Class of 2027, the promotion of fourth-class cadets from recruits to privates and a Saturday dress parade. There will also be a diverse range of religious services on Sunday, Oct. 11.

Another main event of the weekend will be when The Citadel takes on ETSU at home. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

Carpooling or travelling to campus via taxi, Uber, Lyft or other services is highly recommended.

Predicting with Data: A mathematics colloquium presentation

Friday, Oct. 16
Noon-12:50 p.m.
Thompson Hall, Room 315, The Citadel campus
Free, open to the public
Please RSVP by 8 a.m. Oct. 15 at this link.

What makes a good prediction? How do we know which factors really matter and which ones are just noise? The Citadel’s Department of Mathematical Sciences will host a mathematics and statistics colloquium presentation titled “Predicting with Data: Variable Selection and Statistical Modeling” by Dr. Chao Gu.

In this talk, Chao Gu, assistant professor of statistics at The Citadel, explores how statistical models can help answer those questions. He’ll introduce methods for identifying the most important factors when information is collected over time, while avoiding models that become unnecessarily complicated.

Using simulations and a real-world example involving housing prices in Austin, Texas, Gu will show how different statistical approaches can help researchers build models that are both accurate and easier to understand. He’ll also compare the SCAD method with more familiar techniques such as Lasso and adaptive Lasso.

Dr. Chau Gu is an assistant professor of statistics at The Citadel. His research focuses on high-dimensional inference and change point detection. He enjoys teaching mathematics and statistics, particularly helping students see how statistical concepts connect to the world around them.

This event will be held in-person. Pizza and beverages will be available starting at 11:55 a.m.

Class of 1979 Leadership Day

Wednesday, Oct. 21
Various times
The Citadel campus and locations throughout the greater Charleston community
Open to the media

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, regularly scheduled classes at The Citadel are replaced with Leadership Day Service Projects and Leadership Seminars for all cadets.

More than 1,000 freshman and sophomore cadets will engage in service activities at dozens of locations across the Lowcountry.

On average, more than 7,000 hours of service to the Lowcountry are provided by the cadets each Leadership Day. 

The Krause Center for Leadership Development, part of the newly formed Krause School of Leadership and Ethics, sponsors the event.

The Citadel Class of 1979 has donated nearly $1 million to permanently endow the “Class of 1979 Leadership Day.” Members of their class will be alongside cadets at various locations for Leadership Day.

Fall 2026 Finance Speaker Series featuring Joseph S. Steinberg

Thursday, Oct. 22
5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
Free, but advance registration required at this link.

The Citadel Finance Speaker Series is back, connecting Citadel cadets with world-class industry executives, while sourcing student internship opportunities.

The next featured speaker is Joseph S. Steinberg, the chairman of Jefferies Financial Group and a co-founder of Leucadia National Corporation. John Regan, the chief investment officer at Permanens Capital Partners, who is also an advisory board member of the Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business at The Citadel, will join the speaker for a fireside chat.

Unified Sports Days with Pattison’s Academy

Thursday, Oct. 22-Friday, Oct. 23
9:30 a.m.-Noon on both days
Pattison’s Academy
721 Wappoo Road
Charleston, SC
While this event is not open to the public, members of the media are invited to cover

The Citadel’s Department of Health and Human Performance will partner with Pattison’s Academy to host Unified Sports Days, a two-day adapted physical activity event for students with disabilities from various Charleston County School District schools.

Citadel students will facilitate a variety of inclusive recreational and sports activities, including football, soccer, and an Olympic Village featuring interactive games and skill stations.

This service-learning event provides students from The Citadel with hands-on experience in adapted physical activity while promoting physical fitness, social interaction, teamwork, and enjoyment for participating students.

Unified Sports Days highlights The Citadel’s commitment to community engagement, inclusion, and experiential learning through partnerships that support individuals with disabilities.

Out of the Darkness Walk

Sunday, Oct. 25
2 p.m.
Gahagan Park
184 W. Boundary St.
Summerville, SC
Free, open to the public

The Citadel’s Department of Psychology invites the public to join their team for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Out of the Darkness Walk at 2p.m., Sunday, Oct. 25 at Gahagan Park in Summerville, S.C.

The event will raise awareness, honor those we’ve lost, and support research and clinical services that save lives. Those interested can register on the team page (family and friends are welcome), or donate if you can’t attend. Any contribution strengthens the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention’s ongoing efforts in prevention, education and support programs. This is a meaningful opportunity for the psychology community to come together and show up for mental health and suicide prevention.

Anyone who has questions or wants to get involved can reach out to Emily Rooney, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at The Citadel. She can be reached at erooney@citadel.edu.

The Citadel Athletics

To purchase tickets, please call 843-953-3647 or visit citadelsports.com/tickets. Watch all ESPN+ broadcasts at The Citadel – ESPN Search.  For all events, media should contact the Athletics Communications staffer assigned to that sport. Their contact information can be found here at this link.

The Citadel Women’s Volleyball vs. Furman
Tuesday, Oct. 6
6 p.m.
McAlister Field House
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Football vs. ETSU
Saturday, Oct. 10
2 p.m.
Johnson Hagood Stadium
Tickets required

The Citadel Rifle vs. Georgia Southern
Saturday, Oct. 10
TBD
Inouye Marksmanship Center
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Women’s Volleyball vs. Samford
Friday, Oct. 16
6 p.m.
McAlister Field House
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Women’s Volleyball vs. Samford
Saturday, Oct. 17
2 p.m.
McAlister Field House
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Rifle vs. UAB
Saturday, Oct. 17
TBD
Inouye Marksmanship Center
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Women’s Soccer vs. Wofford
Sunday, Oct. 18
2 p.m.
Washington Light Infantry (WLI) Field
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Golf at Edisto Island Invitational
Monday, Oct. 19-Tuesday, Oct. 20
All day
The Plantation Course
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Women’s Soccer vs. Samford
Friday, Oct. 23
4 p.m.
Washington Light Infantry (WLI) Field
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Football vs. Tennessee Tech
Saturday, Oct. 24
2 p.m.
Johnson Hagood Stadium
Tickets required
Special Game-Day Promotions:

• School Spirit Day: $10 tickets for Elementary/ Middle School students and their families using promo code: SPIRIT at citadelsports.com/tickets + Pregame High-Five Tunnel & Postgame pictures on the field!

• Scouts Day: $10 tickets for all Girl Scout and Cub Scout troops and their families using promo code SCOUT at citadelsports.com/tickets + Pregame High-Five Tunnel & Postgame

The Citadel Wrestle-Offs
The Citadel Wrestling Intrasquad Scrimmage
Wednesday, Oct. 28
7 p.m.
McAlister Field House
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Women’s Volleyball vs. Western Carolina
Friday, Oct. 30
6 p.m.
McAlister Field House
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Women’s Volleyball vs. Western Carolina
Saturday, Oct. 31
2pm
McAlister Field House
Free, open to the public

The Citadel Rifle vs. TCU
Saturday, Oct. 31
TBD
Inouye Marksmanship Center
Free, open to the public