The Citadel Distinguished Scholars program hosts two information sessions

Thursday, April 1 and Thursday, April 15
7 p.m.
Virtual, via Zoom
Free, open to The Citadel community

Earning prestigious scholarships — like the Rhodes or Knight-Hennessy Scholarships — can be life-changing events that open doors to future careers.

That’s one reason why The Citadel Distinguished Scholars Program (CPD) is hosting two information sessions — one for a Rhodes Scholarship and another for the Knight-Hennessy.

Former Rhodes Scholar Steve Harrison will tell his scholastic story, via Zoom, on Thursday, April 1 at 7 p.m. The Rhodes Scholarship is considered one of the most aspirational awards for scholars. Harrison, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, is a member of the CDP Advisory Board.

On April 15, Luke Anthony Peña, the Knight-Hennessy Director of Admission, will join the CDP to discuss Stanford University’s program to cultivate a diverse, multidisciplinary community of emerging leaders from around the world.

To attended the April 1 session for Rhodes Scholarships, click here.

To attended the April 15 for Knight-Hennessy Scholarships, click here.

For more information, please contact the CPD director, Earl Walker, Ph.D., at walkerw@citadel.edu or the administrator, Vanya Perez, at vperez@citadel.edu.

Presentations on “Current counterintelligence issues and challenges”

Monday, April 5
4 p.m.
Virtual, via Zoom
Free, open to the public

The Citadel’s Department of Intelligence and Security Studies is partnering with The Bush School of Government and Public Service, at Texas A&M University, to address new issues in intelligence.

The April 5 event will feature the following three presentations:

“The evolution of espionage in the 21st century: Teaching the next generation of counterintelligence professionals”

Presented by Gary Ross, director of Intelligence Studies at The Bush School’s Washington, DC Teaching Site.

During his twenty-seven-year career as a special agent and supervisory special agent, Ross conducted and supervised criminal, counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations and operations for the Department of Defense, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security.

The misuse of the ISA during the COVID-19 crisis in Israel

Presented by Avner Barnea, Ph.D., a research fellow with the National Security Studies Center at the University of Haifa.

Barnea is formerly a senior employee of the Israel Security Agency. He is also a senior lecturer at the Business School, the academic College of Netanya. Barnea is the author of We Did Not Anticipate That: Comparative Analysis of Intelligence FAilures in the National Field and in Business, set to publish in English in 2021.

The persistence of insider intelligence threats

Presented by Jonathan Nelson, a retired U.S. Air Force (USAF) Special Agent.

Nelson served in the USAF from 1998 to 2019 with 15 years of service focused on federal law enforcement and counterintelligence. Some of his previous assignments include the regional program manager for USAF counterintelligence operations in Europe and Africa and as a supervisory special agent overseeing investigative support in the Pacific.

To join the Zoom meeting, click here.

Final round of the 2021 Corps-Wide Speaking Competition

Wednesday, April 7
2:15 p.m.
Buyer Auditorium
Free, open to the public (pre-registration required by emailing sfourney@citadel.edu)

Every member of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets has a personal story to tell — and one of the annual traditions on campus gives them a chance to win money for speaking up.

Though the pandemic has limited the number of people who can listen to those stories, the final round of the 11th Annual Henry Dale Smith Corps-Wide Public Speaking Contest will held on Wednesday, April 7 at 2:15 p.m.

The seven finalists and their speech topics are:

• Adam Walker – “Triumphant failure”
• Shiloh Smiles – “The mask I wear”
• Desmond Sigler – “The three I’s to life and success”
• Ashley Coplo – “Because of my mother”
• John Morris – “Social media: A pandemic of sheep”
• Daniel Wilkes – “An old to Charlie Brown”
• Nicholas Fricchione – “Thank you, grandparents”

Judges of the final round include the former director and namesake of The Citadel speaking lab, Patricia McArver, as well as WCSC-Live 5 reporter Carter Coyle.

To reserve a seat, contact Sean Fourney, Ph.D., at sfourney@citadel.edu.

The first-place winner will earn the title “Best Speaker in the Corps,” an award included in the college’s annual Commencement Week Awards Convocation, as well as a $500 prize. The second-place cadet will receive $300.

The speaking competition is hosted by The Patricia McArver Public Speaking Lab, where students, faculty and staff can polish their public speaking skills. From timid talkers to confident communicators, The Public Speaking Lab works one-on-one with a variety of individuals to create great presenters.

Citadel professor speaks in “Telling truer stories: Restorative responses beyond CofC”

Wednesday, April 7
5 – 6:30 p.m.
Virtual, via Zoom (registration required by clicking here)
Free, open to the public

A professor of History at The Citadel will participate in a panel discussion, hosted by The College of Charleston Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston, focused on universities’ efforts to address racism, inclusion and equality.

Felice Knight, Ph.D., will be part of a panel discussion titled “Truth-Telling at Other Universities” on Wednesday, April 7 at 5 p.m.

Topics Knight expects to cover include her work as the chair of the Universities Studying Slavery Committee and as chair of a subcommittee on the 2021 President’s Task Force in Race, Diversity and Inclusion.

Other speakers on the panel include:

• Ashley Schmidt, Universities Studying Slavery Consortium, University of Virginia
• Rhondda Thomas, Clemson University

The other panel in the session is “Restorative Responses by the Charleston Community” and will feature:

• Amber Johnson, EIRC (Equity, Inclusion and Racial Conciliation) City of Charleston
• Tina Singleton, YWCA of Greater Charleston Racial Equity Institute
• Arthur McFarland, CAJM (Charleston Area Justice Ministry)

To register for the event, click here.

SEISA Annual Conference

April 7 – April 10
Various times
Virtual, via Zoom (registration required by clicking here)
Free, open to the public

The Citadel and College of Charleston are co-hosting the Southeastern Immigration Studies Association’s annual conference, which will take place on April 7 – 10. 

This year’s conference is titled “Immigration in Overlapping Pandemics: Racism, COVID and a Call for Systematic Change.”

This conference promises to bring together interdisciplinary perspectives from scholars, practitioners and community-based advocates to discuss pressing contemporary issues related to immigration in the Southeast.

The keynote address will be given by Laura Emiko Soltis, Ph.D., Director of Freedom University in Georgia.

To register for the event, click here.

For more information, click here or contact Dr. Nancy Aguirre at naguirre@citadel.edu.

ROTC Awards Ceremony

Thursday, April 8
4 p.m.
McAllister Field House
Closed to the public

The Citadel ROTC departments provide cadets with officer training during college to allow them to begin their military careers as officers after graduation. Through the departments, which include Air Force/Space Force ROTC, Army ROTC, Marines ROTC and Navy ROTC, The Citadel is one of the nation’s proven producers of top military leaders.

Annually, the departments nominate their finest cadets and active duty students for awards. This year’s more than 100 award recipients will be honored in a private ceremony on Thursday, April 8 in McAlister Field House.

Though the event will be closed due to COVID protocols, it will be live-streamed. A link will be posted here when it is available.

Cadets participate in national cyber exercise by the National Security Agency

Thursday, April 8 – Saturday, April 10
Virtual
Closed to the public

Citadel cadets will, virtually, go head-to-head with other cadets and students from the Service Academies and Senior Military Colleges during a competition series hosted by the National Security Agency (NSA).

The NSA cyber exercise — called NCX — is a year-round, education, training and exercise program. NCX culminates in an annual three-day cyber competition that challenges students at the U.S. Service Academies and Senior Military Colleges in near full-spectrum Cyber operations.

NCX helps prepare the nation’s next generation of cyber leaders and warriors in defending the Nation from an ever-increasing number of cyber threats. The winning school receives the coveted NCX trophy.

Additionally, all the participants will receive a certificate signed by Gen. Paul Nakasone, the director of the NSA and commander of United States Cyber Command.

Learn more about The Citadel’s Cyber Operations degree here.

Student Excellence Day

Friday, April 9
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Deas Hall gymnasium
Free, open to The Citadel community

Each spring at The Citadel, top cadets and students share their scholarship at the annual Student Excellence Day.

This year’s event will be held in-person in the Deas Hall gymnasium on April 9, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

73 cadets and students will be presenting posters that represent the research they’ve conducted over the past year.

In addition to the research being presented, there will be food trucks and raffles.

Academy of Engineers

Thursday, April 15
5 – 8 p.m.
Holliday Alumni Center (invitation only) and virtual, via Zoom
Free, open to the public

Every year, The Citadel School of Engineering honors engineers who have lived a life consistent with the school’s mission, which is to educate and develop principled engineering leaders to serve a global community.

Annually, the School celebrates these inductees in a formal ceremony. However, due to the pandemic, last year’s ceremony had to be cancelled.

This year’s event will honor the four inductees from 2020 — including The Citadel President Gen. Glenn Walters, USMC (Ret.), ’79 — along with two members who will be inducted in to the Academy’s Class of 2021.

New inductees include Vice Admiral Jan E Tighe, USN (Ret.) and Rebecca Ufkes, ’94.

To watch the ceremony live, click here.

Star of the West competition

Friday, April 16
3:20 p.m.
Summerall Field, The Citadel campus
Free, open to the public

An annual, spring tradition at The Citadel is the competition to be named best-drilled cadet.

This year’s Star of the West competition will be held on Friday, April 16 on Summerall Field.

The winner will have his or her name engraved on the Star of the West monument on Summerall Field. The monument was raised in 1961, 100 years after Citadel cadets fired upon the Star of the West ship in the Civil War. Inscribed on the monument are all Star of the West competition winners. The winner will also be presented with the Star of the West medal, which contains wood from the old ship.

The competition, which began at The Citadel in 1886, is an annual event that recognizes and celebrates the precision required in military maneuvers and leadership positions in general.

Earth Day panel on “Resilience in the 21^st century: Exploring the social, economic and environmental aspects of climate change for Charleston”

Thursday, April 22
3 – 5 p.m.
Virtual, via Zoom
Free, open to the public

Three members of The Citadel community will participate in a Charleston-area academic panel to celebrate Earth Day.

Mostafa Batouli, Ph.D., Scott Curtis, Ph.D., and Jay Goosby Smith, Ph.D., will virtually join speakers from the College of Charleston and the Medical University of South Carolina on Thursday, April 22.

The panel and discussions will focus on the need for, and understanding of, resilience across social, economic and environmental systems.

Questions addressed will include:

• Given predicted sea level rise, more extreme hurricanes, more extreme rain events and shifting ocean currents, how will Charlestonians have to create resilient, climate-just systems in the coming decades?
• What infrastructure will have to be created, and how will it be paid for, to help Charleston adapt to a warmer planet?
• How will the political will be developed to tackle this “wicked problem” that faces us all?

The event is intended for faculty, staff and students of the three institutions, but is open to the public as well.

To watch the panel discussion, click here.

Storm The Citadel (cancelled)

Cancelled due to weather

The pandemic may have changed some elements but, one year after celebrating its 10th anniversary, Storm The Citadel is back.

The competition will challenge young competitors with science, math and engineering challenges as they design, build and test their trebuchets, or medieval-style catapults, as well as miniature bridges and water bottle rockets.

This year’s competition will be scaled down from earlier years, to allow for social distancing. Normally several thousand competitors, teachers, coaches and parents would attend; this year, however, fewer schools were allowed to register and there are limits on how many parents and teachers can attend.

Co-hosted by Google and The Citadel’s STEM Center of Excellence along with the School of Engineering, Zucker Family School of Education and the Swain Family School of Science and Mathematics, Storm The Citadel promotes STEM education and allows students to use the skills they learn in the classroom in tangible, exciting ways.

Registration for STEAM Camp

Registration is now open for The Citadel STEAM Camp, which will be held June 21-25. The event will run from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day.

All rising 5th – 8th grade students are invited to join the treasure hunt-themed event. 

Led by faculty and cadets from The Citadel, campers will use cutting-edge 3D technology, scientific analysis and military protocols to track down, rescue and protect important international cultural artifacts throughout history from WWII to modern-day in this hands-on interdisciplinary experience.

The camp will be taught on The Citadel campus. COVID protocols include mandatory masks for all students, counselors and faculty, reduced-size class capacity and frequent sanitization of the room.

The cost is $250 per week. Snacks will be provided, but students will need to bring lunch from home each day. A limited number of fee reduction waivers are available for Title I Schools.

The camp is led by co-directors Tiffany Silverman from The Citadel Fine Arts program and Jennifer Albert, Ph.D., from The Citadel STEM Center of Excellence.

To register, click here.

For more information or questions about registration, please contact Ashley Andrews at 843-953-7121 or ashley.andrews@citadel.edu.