Leadership is at the heart of everything The Citadel does, but last week, leadership had a megaphone.

That commitment was on display in a day of service across the Lowcountry, reflected in the legacy of a highly decorated Marine and distinguished graduate, marked by the opening of the Krause School of Leadership and Ethics, and explored during the college’s Leadership in Philanthropy weekend.

Here is a look back at the series of events last week that underscored The Citadel’s enduring commitment to educating and developing principled leaders.

Class of 1979 Leadership Day

For one day every year, The Citadel cancels classes and gives students another type of assignment: Put what you’ve learned about leadership into action.

The Class of 1979 Leadership Day — held on Wednesday, Oct. 21 this year — is focused on serving others, offering cadets new perspectives on what it means to lead, serve and make a difference.

Leadership Day began with the Corps hearing from retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant Cedric King, who served 20 years in the military, earning numerous honors, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

After losing both legs to an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2012, King went on to complete the Boston Marathon just 21 months later and become an accomplished endurance athlete and motivational speaker, sharing lessons in perseverance, resilience and leadership with audiences around the world.

Before cadets boarded buses bound for dozens of sites across the Lowcountry, King urged them to remember the day’s roots in service over self or, as he put it, “an experience that you can use to bless someone else.”

This year, more than 1,000 freshman and sophomore cadets traveled to dozens of sites across the region to sharpen their ethical decision-making and demonstrate principled leadership in action.

When they returned to campus for the closing ceremony on Summerall Field, King addressed cadets once more and led them in an exercise in mental toughness, where he led them in completing a series of push-ups but never said how many they would be doing.

He joined in the exercise himself, shouting out each rep as they completed the push-ups in cadence. Afterward, King talked about the importance of not giving up, especially when facing uncertainty.

“I need you to understand there are going to be moments in life that are going to be filled with the unknown. During those moments, I am asking you to do what you just did,” he said. “Continue to push forward and fight with what you brought to the beginning. Use your connections of family, your faith and the focus that you’ve gained at this point in your life from your leaders here. They will guide you when things seem so tough.”

“Do not quit,” he added, stressing each word.

Leadership Reaction Course

A legacy of distinguished military service and principled leadership will carry forward at The Citadel through its newly dedicated Leadership Reaction Course, named in honor of Col. Myron Charles Harrington Jr., USMC (Ret.), ’60.

Harrington ranks among The Citadel’s most decorated graduates. A Marine Corps officer, he received the Silver Star and Navy Cross for valor during the Vietnam War. Following his military career, he remained deeply involved in the Charleston community and supported numerous civic, philanthropic and historical organizations.

In 2010, he received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor.

His service to The Citadel spanned decades. From 2006 to 2021, Harrington served in multiple roles on the college’s Board of Visitors, including chairman. In 2023, the college awarded him an honorary doctorate of leadership in recognition of his lifetime of service to the nation, the community and The Citadel.

During the ceremony, Harrington’s son, Mike Harrington, reflected on his father’s belief that education must serve a greater purpose and that leadership is demonstrated through action.

“Even the best education is of little value if it’s not leveraged in the service of some higher purpose,” he said.

He described his father as a man of action whose decisiveness shaped his success on the battlefield, in the schoolhouse and in the boardroom. He also noted that the course represents an opportunity for future generations of cadets to carry those lessons forward.

“He would listen intently to options, but was then quick to make a decision and press forward, knowing it’s always easier to redirect once you have momentum than to overcome the inertia of indecision,” his son said.

His father’s greatest pride, he suggested, would not be in having his name attached to the facility, but in the real-world leadership education it will provide to thousands of cadets over time.

The course, which is also known as the LRC, provides cadets with a hands-on environment to develop and assess their leadership skills. Through a series of timed challenges, cadets must think critically, respond to changing circumstances and work together to solve problems, putting leadership principles into practice.

The Citadel President Gen. Frank McKenzie, USMC (Ret.), ’79, praised Harrington as an example to the college and said the course was a fitting tribute to a graduate whose name and contributions would endure at the college.

Krause School of Leadership and Ethics

A vision that began 25 years ago came to fruition as The Citadel officially opened the Krause School of Leadership and Ethics, made possible by the longstanding generosity and vision of Mr. and Mrs. L. William Krause, ’63.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 22, marked a major milestone in the college’s effort to educate and develop principled leaders.

“This is going to be that white-hot engine that functions both within the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, across the graduate college and well beyond,” said McKenzie, president of The Citadel.

He described the school as a center that will prepare graduates to grapple with some of the most difficult problems facing society, like how to integrate artificial intelligence into the workforce.

“What you get here is you get the leadership that allows you to take an organization and shape it to a purpose, and that requires learning how to serve, and then eventually learning how to lead,” McKenzie said.

During the ceremony, Krause reflected on the opportunity ahead, including the potential to give leadership education greater national recognition and connect leadership curricula across the college’s six academic schools.

The new school brings together leadership studies, leadership development and executive and professional education. Its opening marks a new chapter in The Citadel’s approach to leadership education, with an emphasis on connecting classroom learning with practical experience and preparing graduates to lead with purpose.

Leaders in Philanthropy

The week also celebrated a different expression of leadership: a lasting commitment to the college and its future.

The Citadel Foundation welcomed its newest inductees alongside fellow donors, recognizing their extraordinary generosity, vision and enduring commitment to the college and the cadets it serves.

At the annual Leaders in Philanthropy induction ceremony, The Citadel Foundation honored donors whose generosity and loyalty help advance The Citadel’s mission of educating and developing principled leaders.

The ceremony recognized members of the college’s lifetime and legacy giving societies, along with the Order of the Tartan, which honors donors who have given consecutively for 25 years or more.

Together, these traditions celebrate philanthropy and service as hallmarks of principled leadership.