Dear Parents,

	Cadet Bud Winn carries the Alpha Company guidon in a Friday afternoon parade.

          With this new semester, I wanted to take a minute to update you on the accomplishments of your cadets .Cadets excelled in a myriad of activities from scholarship to athletics and from community service to military training. They are a fine group of young men and women, and their successes represent you and The Citadel well.

          The Citadel was once again recognized in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings. The college was ranked number two for top public universities in the South offering masters’ degrees. The School of Engineering was ranked 30th in the country—this was the fifth consecutive year that it was ranked among the top schools in the country. U.S. News & World Report also ranked The Citadel:

In the spotlight

          At the Sept. 22 parade, cadet academic officer Andrew Brooks accepted the Summerall Cup on behalf of Palmetto Battery. The cup is awarded annually to the cadet company with the best academic achievement. Cadet Brooks also accepted the Milton A. Pearlstine Award for the company with the highest freshman grade point ratio. Cadet Boyd Pritchard accepted the Murray D. Bonnoitt Award on behalf of Lima Company for having the cadet company with the highest freshman class retention rate.

          Army ROTC awards were presented at the Oct. 22 parade. Cadet Joshua Scheell of India Company was the winner of the Widder Award. The award recognizes the distinguished military student who has best exhibited the qualities of devotion to duty, exemplary conduct, military and academic excellence and unquestionable character. Cadet Kyle Packard accepted the Col. Walter Ballard Clark Award. The award recognizes the Army ROTC cadet who has achieved the highest overall standing among Citadel cadets at the advanced camp. Cadet Douglas Locke received the Todd L. Dorney Memorial Sword and Scholarship. The award, which is presented in memory of Lt. Todd L. Dorney, is presented annually to a first-class Army-contract cadet whose ROTC performance is in the top 10 percent of his class.

          At the Oct. 23 parade, Cadet Matthew Kaplan accepted the Regimental Commander’s Bowl on behalf of Romeo Company for the cadet company with the most successful cadre as demonstrated by fourth-class attrition rate and fourth-class performance in close order drill, physical training and knob knowledge. Cadet Squad Sgt. Ryan Mahaffey accepted the Kelly Cup for Golf Company for the best drilled fourth-class squad.

          During Homecoming Weekend festivities in November, senior Cadet Raymond Foltz received the prestigious Col. Loring K. Himelright Scholarship for outstanding performance as a civil engineering student. Cadet Foltz, who is president of The Citadel chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, received a $2,000 scholarship.

In academic life

Cadet Will Andersen worked as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C., for U.S. Representative John Spratt during the fall semester.

          This fall, The Citadel began offering two new programs, a minor in leadership studies and a minor in African American studies. The leadership studies program is believed to be one of only two leadership studies degree programs at public institutions in South Carolina. The diverse 15-credit hour minor reinforces leadership development as a fundamental aspect of The Citadel experience, focusing on leadership issues in business, humanities and social sciences. Developed over the past year, the program follows the 2003 creation of the Krause Initiative in Leadership and Ethics, which was funded with a $2 million gift from the Krause Foundation of Los Altos Hills, Calif. William Krause, the foundation’s CEO, is a 1963 graduate.

          The 15-hour minor in African American studies encourages an appreciation for the contributions of people of African descent and emphasizes the importance of diversity.  Through the interdiscipliinary study of history, politics, English, sociology and culture, the program aims to highlight the significance of race, gender

          Cadet Kevin Young received an undergraduate research award from the S.C. Space Grant Consortium. He and Col. Saul Adelman are studying observation scheduling on automated telescopes, and they have published a paper which appeared in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Cadet John Dennis spent the fall semester as an intern at NASA Langley Space Flight Center. Cadet Charles Knisley spent the semester in Spain participating in the prestigious Wake Forest University of Salamanca Program. Cadet Will Andersen spent a semester in Washington, D.C., working for U.S. Representative John Spratt. In addition to assisting Congressman Spratt and his staff, Cadet Andersen attended committee hearings and house leadership news conferences.

          Cadets Bethany Amico, Shaun Futch, Jason Holstead, Steven Kukulka, David Spencer and Dan Swartout along with School of Education faculty advisors, Maj. Judy Lehr and Capt. Kathy Richardson-Jones, attended the S.C. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Fall Conference Sept. 24 in Columbia, S.C. Maj. Lehr and Capt. Richardson-Jones and Cadets Amico and Shirleen Davila also made presentations at the 18th Annual Women in Educational Leadership Conference in Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 27.

          Cadets taking PHED 203, Accommodating Persons with Disabilities, participated in field experiences with disabled children and adults in the Charleston area. One of the activities cadets particularly enjoyed in the health, exercise and sport science class was learning to play wheelchair basketball.

In cadet activities

	At the annual Cadet Activities Bulldog-Bullpup Halloween Party, cadets had as much fun bobbing for apples as the bullpups.

         The office of cadet activities had some exciting events scheduled in the fall. Senior cadets and sword-bearing juniors took part in a dining etiquette seminar in September. On Tuesdays evenings in September and October in Mark Clark Hall Auditorium, cadets and their guests took dancing lessons from professional dance instructors.

          Cadets hosted a Halloween party for the 38 children who participate in Bulldog-Bullpup, a mentoring program in which cadets are paired up with area school children who need positive role models. The children enjoyed games, cupcake decorating, dinner and trick-or-treating in Fourth Battalion.

          Faculty, staff and cadets donated more than 500 units of blood in the fall. The American Red Cross honored The Citadel with the national Good Neighbor Award for being the largest educational sponsor group of blood drives in the Charleston area for more than a decade. The award was given during halftime at The Citadel-College of Charleston basketball game at McAlister Field House.

          Fall semester activities concluded with the annual Christmas Candlelight Service when cadets brought the spirit of Christmas to the Lowcountry Dec. 4-6. The service was marked by musical performances as well as scripture readings and prayer. The Citadel Brass Ensemble opened the program followed by the cadet choir, which entered the chapel in a procession of lights and song. Cadets Terri Beshirs, Samuel Davis, Shawna Hartman, Pauletoria Jones, Billy Lee, Amy Maddox, Elliot Pernula, Jimmy Reeves, Seth Stewart and Paul Wheeler recited scripture. Cadets Amara Atella, John Auer, Andrew Brooks, Jhonna Casey, James Driver, John-Michael Gerlach, Samuel Joiner, Pongsakorn Kaewkornmaung, Encarna Keating, Brandon Kirch, Whitney Lee, Nicholas Lyden, Amy Maddox, Joseph Moore, Samuel Price, Jason Quick, Karl Rhines, Paul Wheeler and Brett Williams sang solos. Cadet Courtney Whittecar accompanied soloists to “Carol of the Newborn King” on the flute, and Cadet John Auer accompanied the soloists to “Jesus Came to Dwell Among Us” on the viola. Col. Mark Bebensee played the organ, Nancy Lefter directed the choir, and Commander Michael Alverson led the brass ensemble. Chaplain David Golden presided over the service.

On campus

          Special tribute was paid to retiring U.S. Sen. Ernest F. Hollings at the Sept. 24 Padgett-Thomas dedication ceremony. Sen. Hollings, a 1942 graduate, was instrumental in securing funding to help rebuild the barracks. Some 340 senior cadets received their rings in Summerall Chapel as part of Parents’ Weekend festivities. A freshmen family drop-in, ring hop, open barracks and football game against Georgia Southern University were among the highlights of the Oct. 22-24 weekend.

          The college was fortunate to have Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., vice chairman of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, speak to the Corps about the influence of business investment on the economy. The Oct. 26 address was part of the Greater Issues Series.

In community service

	Cadet Bobbi Smith was one of 45 cadets who traveled to Hutchinson Island, Fla., to assist with the hurricane relief effort.

          Community service is a large part of life as a cadet, and I’m happy to say that cadets were actively involved this semester, performing 13,689 hours of community service. Cadets Christopher Grabowski and Jennifer Guerry participated in the farewell salute to Sen. Hollings. Cadets Daniel Beasley, Richard Kellahan, Peter Rooney and other members of the baseball team volunteered as teachers at the Mt. Pleasant Recreation Department. Cadets Alicia Lau and Laura Phelan volunteered at West Ashley Elementary School where they worked with local school children. Cadets John Deakin, Tyler Gibbs, Harold Greene, Richard Gulledge, Brandon Kinder, Charles Rowland and Richard White traveled to Sumter where they assisted elderly voters by transporting them to and from the voting polls on election day.

          Cadets David Burrier, Adam Byerly, Stephen Cha, Sidney Dudley, Jesse Duffie, Joseph Harvill, Stephen Schloss and several other cadets from Palmetto Battery helped with the Habitat for Humanity project in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. In November, 45 cadets came to the aid of a retirement community devastated by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. The cadets, who were taking Karen Shuler’s Organizational Problem-Solving and Teambuilding course, traveled to the Colonades retirement community on Hutchinson Island, Fla., one of the barrier islands hit hardest by the hurricanes. There they divided up into teams, raking, weeding, removing broken glass, furniture and appliances from apartments and demolishing ruined sheetrock and cabinets. Through their work, they were able to help lower demolition and rebuilding costs. In addition, cadets raised $10,898 of the $43,292 that The Citadel family contributed to the Trident United Way to help support community programs and services funded by the nonprofit organization.

In athletics

Cadet Ern Mills carries the ball during the Western Carolina game.

          On Oct. 9, Tango Company won first place in a fun-filled field day. The day’s activities included scaling a rock climbing wall, competing in an obstacle course, and boxing and jousting in an inflatable boxing ring. Companies also battled against one another in relay races, dodge ball and tug of war. The Rugby Team had a good season with wins against the University of South Carolina, Wake Forest University and Duke University. Cadets Austin Dupuis, Andrew Kelly, Matt Power, Patrick Reid and Cody Sandquist were selected to the Palmetto Union All Star Team.

          The Multisport Club won the U.S.A. Triathlon (USAT) Collegiate Southeastern Regional team championship in McCormick, S.C., Oct. 9. Cadet John-Michael Gerlach was the USAT Collegiate Southeastern Regional individual champion. The other team members were Cadets Matthew Kaplan, Kyle O’Donohoe, Gray Payne, Kyle Packard and David Thiessen.

          The sailing team stayed busy. Among its successes, it placed second at the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SAISA) North Points Regatta at the University of Tennessee Sept. 11-12. At the Charleston Fall Open Oct. 18-19, The Citadel placed third. And at the SAISA North Points Regatta at Lake Norman Oct. 16-17, The Citadel placed second.

          The football team had wins over Benedict College, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Western Carolina University. Cadet Nehemiah Broughton was named to the Senior Bowl, becoming only the ninth cadet in the history of the college to earn the honor. Cadets Broughton, Michael Ballentine and Shawn Grant earned All-Southern Conference honors from the media. And Cadet Montrell Lee earned Southern Conference Freshman of the Week honors when he rushed more than 100 yards against nationally-ranked Georgia Southern.

          The volleyball team has been steadily improving, finishing 11th place in the Southern Conference and winning three Southern Conference matches. Cadet Katie Livingston set a new team record for assists with 1,132. Cadet Audra Ritchie topped the team record for kills with 363.

          In September, Cadet Lauren Merchant was the first Citadel female soccer player to be named Southern Conference women’s soccer Player of the Week. Cadet Merchant led her team to an 8-1 win against S.C. State College. The men’s cross country team finished second in the Roly Poly Invitational at the College of Charleston Sept. 6. Cadet Will Wilson led the team with second place overall. At The Citadel Invitational Sept. 25, the Bulldogs finished second out of seven Division I colleges. The Bulldogs also placed three runners in the top eight. Cadet Nick Gastley was the top finisher for the Bulldogs, placing fifth overall with a time of 25:54.37. Cadet Wilson came in seventh with a 26:30.30 finish, and Cadet Matt Holmes placed ninth in 26:44.11. The Citadel women's team came in third behind Furman and College of Charleston. Cadet Laura Hewston was the top finisher for the women, placing sixth with a time of 19:08.92. Cadet Wilma Harp came in with 20:12.52 and Cadet Christine DeVasto finished in 20:59.55. The men's cross county team completed the 2004 season with Cadet Gastley representing the squad in the NCAA Southeast Regional Nov. 16 at East Carolina University. Cadet Gastley finished the 10K race in a time of 34:39, tying his personal best. Cadet Hewston ran the fastest 6K time in The Citadel's history in 23:55 as she represented the women at the 2004 Cross Country NCAA Southeast Regional hosted by East Carolina University. Cadet Hewston set two new school records this year as she ran a 5K time of 19:08 at The Citadel Invitational as well as turning in a 23:55 time in the 6K at this year's NCAA Southeast Regional Championships.

In closing

          By now you have heard about my decision to step down as president Aug. 1. Our administration has accomplished its goals, and now the time has come to hand over the reins to new leadership. This is an extraordinary college, and it has been a privilege to work with an exceptional faculty and staff, a dedicated board and a family of alumni and friends devoted to The Citadel and the principles this institution represents. Norwood and I have especially enjoyed serving you and your cadets. They are the finest college students anywhere, and associating with them has been a blessing.

          God bless you all!