From the day of its founding on March 16, 1802, West Point has grown in its size and stature, but it remains committed to the task of producing commissioned leaders of character for America's Army. Today, the Academy graduates more than 900 new officers annually, which represents approximately 25 percent of the new lieutenants required by the Army each year. The student body, or Corps of Cadets, numbers 4,000, of whom approximately 15 percent are women.
A favorite expression at West Point is that "much-of the history we teach was made by people we taught." Great leaders such as Grant and Lee, Pershing and MacArthur, Eisenhower and Patton, Westmoreland and Schwarzkopf are among the more than 50,000 graduates of the Military Academy.
The United States Naval Academy.
The Naval Academy has a unique clarity of purpose, expressed in our official mission: "To develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to provide graduates who are dedicated to a career of Naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government." This puts everyone --faculty, staff and midshipmen-- on the same wavelength. It also encourages a sense of spirit and pride found at few other schools.
The moral, mental and physical elements of our program are equally important, all contributing to the qualities of an outstanding naval officer.
Every midshipman's academic program begins with a core curriculum that includes courses in engineering, science, mathematics, humanities and social science. This is designed to give a broad-based education so that a midshipman will qualify for practically any career field in the Navy or Marine Corps. At the same time, the majors program gives midshipmen the opportunity to develop particular areas of academic interest. For especially capable and highly motivated students, the academy offers challenging honors programs and opportunities to start work on postgraduate degrees while still at the academy. After four years at the Naval Academy, the life and customs of the naval service become second nature. First, midshipmen learn to take orders from practically everyone. But before long, they acquire the responsibility for making decisions that can affect hundreds of other midshipmen. Their professional classroom studies are backed by many hours of practical experience in leadership and naval operations, including assignments with Navy and Marine Corps units during summer months.
Moral-ethical development is a fundamental element of all aspects of the Naval Academy experience. As future officers in the Navy or Marine Corps, midshipmen will someday be responsible for the priceless lives of many men and women and multi-million dollar equipment. From plebe summer through graduation, the Naval Academy's four-year character development program focuses on the attributes of integrity, honor, and mutual respect. One of the goals of this program is to develop midshipmen who possess a clearer sense of their own moral beliefs and the ability to articulate them. Honor is emphasized by means of the Honor Concept -- a system which was originally formulated in 1951 and states "midshipmen are persons of integrity: they stand for that which is right." These academy words to live by are based on the moral values of respect for human dignity, respect for honesty and respect for the property of others. Brigade honor committees composed of elected upper class midshipmen are responsible for education and training in the Honor Concept. Midshipmen found in violation of the Honor Concept by their peers may be separated from the Naval Academy.
The Academy emphasizes the importance of being physically fit and prepared for stress because the duties of Navy and Marine Corps officers often require long, strenuous hours in difficult situations. The physical requirements of plebe summer training, four years of physical education and year-round athletics also develop pride, teamwork and leadership.
The classes now at the Naval Academy will produce many of the leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps for the next 30 years. In the course of their careers, the military and political circumstances of the world will take unexpected turns. Military force structures will change as new technology takes hold. Naval Academy graduates will meet these new challenges with courage, honor and integrity upholding cherished traditions, always leading to a new and better future.
