Uniting Human Performance, Readiness, and Leadership at The Citadel
Why “CORE”?
The name CORE captures the heart of The Citadel’s mission:
- Central Mission – A shared hub for SFSSM, HHP, and ZFSOE integrating research, education, and performance.
- Corps Connection – Phonetically linked to the Corps of Cadets, symbolizing discipline, unity, and strength.
- Core Values – Embodies Honor, Duty, Respect through physical, mental, and ethical preparation.
CORE isn’t just an acronym,
it’s a philosophy.
Just as physical strength begins at the body’s center, institutional strength begins at The Citadel’s CORE.
Purpose
To unify Physical Education, Strength & Conditioning, Exercise Science, and Sport Management under one strategic center focused on readiness, competence, and leadership through movement.
Mission Statement
The CORE Collaborative advances The Citadel’s mission of principled leadership by integrating science, pedagogy, and performance to enhance human readiness: in classrooms, on fields, and across communities.
| Pillar | Focus | Examples of Impact |
| C — Competence | Developing technical, tactical, and motor proficiency that enhances physical, mental, and leadership readiness | ABCs4PE initiative, PE teacher preparation, youth motor development, ROTC motor competence assessments |
| O — Optimization | Advancing human performance through innovation, technology, and applied science | Biomechanics and load variability studies, CPFT analytics, CLEAR hydration research |
| R — Research Integration | Translating scientific evidence into practice across disciplines of movement, leadership, and performance | Interdisciplinary research collaborations, CORE Center publications, student-led applied projects |
| E — Education & Engagement | Strengthening teaching, coaching, and community leadership through active learning and outreach | Coaching education, mentorship programs, K-12 partnerships, tactical performance education |
Structure
- Administrative Home: Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP), School of Science and Mathematics (SFSSM)
- Strategic Partners: Zucker Family School of Education (ZFSOE), Athletics, and ROTC programs
- Model: Distributed leadership: faculty leads aligned with core pillars
Institutional Value
- Unifies programs under one performance-driven identity
- Protects applied-science infrastructure and field-based learning
- Expands research, enrollment, and visibility across divisions
- Embodies The Citadel’s mission: to educate and develop students to become principled leaders through a disciplined and intellectually challenging environment that instills the core values of Honor, Duty, and Respect.
CORE in Action
The Citadel CORE Collaborative brings together faculty, students, institutional partners, and external collaborators to address real-world questions in human performance, physical readiness, motor development, and education. These projects demonstrate CORE’s central purpose: connecting research with practice to improve human performance in classrooms, on fields, within the Corps of Cadets, and across South Carolina communities.
Cadet Hydration and Readiness – The CLEAR Study
Collaboration: The Citadel Department of Health and Human Performance, Office of the Commandant, and University of South Carolina
The Comparing Liquid Equipment and Assessing Rehydration (CLEAR) Study represents an ongoing collaboration focused on understanding and improving hydration among the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Working with the Office of the Commandant and researchers from the University of South Carolina, HHP faculty and students are examining hydration under the real-world physical and environmental demands experienced by cadets.
During Challenge Week 2025, the research team monitored hydration status, body-weight changes, water availability, refill behaviors, and cadet experiences. Findings demonstrated that hydration status changed substantially throughout the week and identified important opportunities to improve hydration practices, education, and access to water during demanding training periods.
The collaboration continues in 2026 as the research team monitors cadet hydration and works with Citadel leadership to translate research findings into practical strategies supporting cadet health and readiness.
Collaborators include: COL Thomas Gordon and the Office of the Commandant; Erin Leonard, Dr. Amy Fraley, Dr Katie Hirsch, and Dr. Susan Yeargin, University of South Carolina; and Dr. Ryan S. Sacko , Dr. Bryan Terlizzi, Dr. Kimbo Yee and faculty and students from The Citadel Department of Health and Human Performance.
Measuring Movement Across South Carolina – ABCs 4 PE
Collaboration: The Citadel HHP, Zucker Family School of Education, Coastal Carolina University, University of South Carolina, and South Carolina schools
The ABCs 4 PE – Assessing Behavior and Cognition in Physical Education initiative is designed to make high-quality assessment of children’s motor competence more practical, accessible, and meaningful. The project addresses longstanding barriers to large-scale motor assessment, including equipment costs, extensive training requirements, limited feasibility in school environments, and difficulty tracking development across childhood and adolescence.
The current South Carolina collaboration extends this work by examining motor skill and physical activity among K-8 students. The project connects researchers in motor development, physical education, exercise science, and teacher preparation while using school-based research to better understand how movement competence develops and relates to other aspects of children’s health and development.
The broader ABCs 4 PE initiative includes innovative assessments of throwing and catching, kicking and receiving, supine-to-stand movement, and standing long jump performance. Ultimately, the goal is to provide educators and researchers with feasible tools capable of supporting large-scale assessment and helping schools better understand children’s holistic development.
Collaborators include: ZFSOE, Dr. Tim Bott, Dr. Bryan Terlizzi, TJ Bott, Dr. Ryan S. Sacko, Dr. Megan Dennis, and Dr. Nilo Romos, Ozgur Altintas, and Dr. David Stodden, representing The Citadel, Coastal Carolina University, and the University of South Carolina.
Community partners: Special thanks to Summerville Preparatory Academy and Discovery School in Myrtle Beach for supporting this collaborative work and providing opportunities to conduct meaningful school-based research.
Understanding Cadet Performance Under Load
Collaboration: The Citadel and University of South Carolina
Military readiness requires individuals to move and perform while carrying substantial external loads. A collaborative research project conducted at The Citadel examined how progressively heavier loads carried in the MOLLE 4000 military rucksack influence vertical jump performance and movement characteristics among cadets.
Forty-one Citadel cadets completed vertical jump testing under unloaded conditions and while carrying loads representing increasing percentages of their body weight. The study demonstrated a substantial decline in jump performance when external load was introduced, providing new insight into how load carriage affects explosive lower-body performance.
Published in Military Medicine, the project demonstrates the unique opportunity provided by The Citadel to connect laboratory-based human-performance science with questions directly relevant to military training and readiness. The work also highlights CORE’s commitment to involving students and emerging scholars in meaningful applied research.
The study was led by Thomas J. “TJ” Beach, who conducted the work while collaborating with researchers from The Citadel and the University of South Carolina. Beach is now pursuing doctoral study at The Ohio State University and was selected as a Tillman Scholar, continuing a trajectory of scholarship and service closely aligned with the mission represented by CORE.
Collaborators: Thomas J. Beach, Dr. Amy L. Fraley, Dr. Christopher J. Sole, Dr. Giovanna E. Leone, Destinee C. Waddy, and Dr. Ryan S. Sacko.
Building the Collaborative
CORE is intended to grow through collaboration rather than exist as a closed research unit. Developing partnerships will connect HHP faculty and students with colleagues across The Citadel, other universities, schools, military and public-service organizations, and community partners whose questions intersect with human performance, movement, education, and readiness.
Check back for announcements of new CORE projects, partnerships, research, and opportunities to participate.
View HHP Research and Student Projects
Partner With CORE
The Citadel CORE Collaborative welcomes opportunities to develop interdisciplinary research, applied projects, educational partnerships, student experiences, and community initiatives related to human performance.
Faculty, researchers, educators, military and public-service organizations, schools, community partners, and others interested in collaborating are encouraged to contact:
Dr. Ryan S. Sacko
Department of Health and Human Performance
The Citadel
rsacko@citadel.edu
At The Citadel, leadership starts at the C.O.R.E.