While the general perception of spies and espionage is conflated with secrecy, The Citadel is working to dispel conspiracy and invite the study of open-source information in the college’s largest single major.

The Citadel’s Department of Intelligence and Security Studies is getting ready for their newest event — an Open Source Intelligence, or OSINT, conference. Partnering with the Department of Political Science’s Governor John C. West Chair, the conference will take place from Oct. 23 through Oct. 25 inside the Capers Hall auditorium.

Cadet Karessa Hill is a junior from Greenville, South Carolina. Hill is an Intelligence and Security Studies major who is pursuing a contract with the Marine Corps.

Emily Hickey is an Intelligence and Security Studies major with a minor in Criminal Justice from Melrose, Massachusetts. After graduation, she expects to accept a commission into the Navy.

Many Citadel cadets and students now have a new, inside perspective into how America manages its place in the global community.

Cadet Gianna Rabassi is an Intelligence and Security Studies major with a minor in Business from Jacksonville, North Carolina. She serves as Papa Company commander and expects to accept an Air Force commission in May 2024.

The Citadel’s new Capers Hall features a training SCIF, where cadets and students will learn how to work with classified information.

Samuel Erickson is a veteran and an undergraduate student at The Citadel majoring in Intelligence and Security Studies and focusing on Chinese language studies. He served for six years in the military before attending a college in Chicago, eventually enrolling into The Citadel. After graduating, Erickson plans continue serving his country and work at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The Class of 2022 includes 85 cadets who studied Intelligence and Security Studies. Before graduation, some shared their career goals and advice for others considering The Citadel.

Registration is now open for the free, online conference that will allow Watergate experts to explore some of the scandal’s lingering mysteries.