People

Cadet Scholarship recipients: 84.5% of first-year

Cadet-to-Faculty Ratio: 11:1

Countries Represented by Cadets: 10 including USA

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Places

The Center for International and Special Programs works to broaden student development through study abroad, competitive scholarships and fellowships as well as special programs.

Up to 60 students per year participate in Citadel sponsored semester programs in the District of Columbia, the United Kingdome, Italy, Greece and Spain.

Summer programs run by Citadel faculty each summer take place in locations such as Spain, Belize, Greece, France, Kenya, Estonia, and more with 100-200 students per summer. 

The center oversees incoming international students who come from countries all over the world, such as Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Qatar and Taiwan.

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Achievements

U.S. News & World Report
#1 Best Public University in the South (14 consecutive years)

• #1 Best Colleges for Veterans – Regional Universities (South)
• #6 Undergraduate Teaching – Regional Universities (South)
• #5 Best Value – Regional Universities (South)
• #18 Best Undergraduate Engineering, Nationwide (non-doctorate)
• #147 Best Undergraduate Business, Nationwide
• #193 Best Undergraduate Computer Science, Nationwide

Carnegie Community Engagement Classification
The Citadel is proud to hold the Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Community Engagement Classification. First awarded in 2015 and reaffirmed in 2020, the Carnegie classification recognizes the college’s continuing commitment to community partnerships that enrich learning, scholarship and service.

#1 ROTC Program in the Country
College Magazine

#1 Army ROTC Program in the Country
Part-Time Commander

NSA/DHS Center of Academic Excellence (Cyber) since 2016

National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by NSA and Department of Homeland Security

Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success

Student Managed Investment Fund manages more than $1.5 million

Highest ROI in the state of South Carolina among other 4-year colleges

68% 4-Year Graduation Rate

89% of Corps of Cadets graduates placed at time of graduation
Students Employed, Serving in the Military or Continuing their Education

As Yoshiki Kitadai sat in the stands in Barcelona, Spain, watching international soccer star Lionel Messi compete for FC Barcelona against Real Madrid in one of the most iconic matches in world soccer, she realized that soccer was her passion, and she resolved to take her game to the next level. A graduate student hailing from Tosashimizu, a city located in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, Kitadai began playing soccer at a young age. But living in the countryside meant facing unique challenges—the only teams to compete with were predominantly male. Kitadai, often the only girl on the team, refused to let that challenge hold her back and began looking for opportunities after high school to play soccer in the United States.

After two years at Iowa Western Community College, Kitadai transferred to Indiana University for one semester before finishing her degree at Marshall University. From there, she came to The Citadel, where she is pursuing a graduate certificate in student affairs as well as a master’s degree in health and human performance.

As part of an educational practicum for her graduate certificate program, Kitadai began working as an athletics advisor in the Student Success Center, where she could put her unique combination of athletic experience and higher education leadership to good use. She helps student-athletes manage their academic coursework, often working with freshmen and sophomores who are still adjusting to the structured demands of the military lifestyle and college athletics.

Kitadai, as a student-athlete herself, knows how difficult it can be to balance sports and academic demands. “When I was an undergraduate, I went to classes, but I didn’t plan well for assignments. It’s easy to fall behind,” said Kitadai. “I feel that because of my own experience, I can understand the individual students. I was there, I was them.” Kitadai helps students develop academic and time-management strategies to stay on track.

Intent on continuing to play soccer for The Citadel while advancing her education, Kitadai is balancing graduate coursework with athletic commitments. For this student-athlete, both athletic performance and educational development continue to take center stage.

When Paul Giliberto, ’27, sat down at the table for a meal of Bryndzové Halušky—a small mountain of potato dumplings covered in a creamy cheese sauce and topped with crispy chopped bacon, a hearty meal prized as the national dish of Slovakia— he felt keenly just how far he was from The Citadel campus he calls home.

A finance major from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, Giliberto spent the semester studying at the University of Pécs in Pécs, Hungary. Among the first Citadel students to study there, Giliberto enjoyed cultural immersion at a university that boasts a history spanning more than 650 years and a large international population.

While Giliberto took courses on topics such as international economics, corporate finance, investments and operations management, he also learned from peers hailing from India, Bangladesh, Italy and France, among many other countries. “I’m able to meet people who are doing the same kind of work that I am, but in all different parts of the world,” said Giliberto. “It’s been an awesome networking opportunity. The best part of this experience has been meeting all of these new people.”

Alongside engaging with a vibrant international community, Giliberto took every opportunity to explore the region, traveling to Budapest, the capital of Hungary, as well as Slovakia, Croatia, Sweden and elsewhere. “This travel has opened my eyes. I’ve never been to this part of the world before, and it’s squashed the preconceived notions that I had about Eastern Europe,” said Giliberto. “These are the friendliest people I’ve ever met.”

For Giliberto, encountering new cultural perspectives has helped redefine the way he sees the world around him. “The world is much bigger than we can see,” said Giliberto. “As Americans, we can have a narrow view of the world. Studying abroad has expanded everything that I thought I knew and fostered a new curiosity about how the world really works.”

When rising First Battalion Commander Lucy McArthur, ’26, first stepped foot on The Citadel campus in her senior year of high school, she knew it was the perfect fit. She had been in Charleston to tour other schools with plans for a degree in music. McArthur ended up on The Citadel campus by chance and never looked back. “On the drive home, I declined every other school and applied to The Citadel,” said McArthur. “This is what I was supposed to do—I just knew.”

McArthur, a double major in Intelligence and Security Studies and English, and a member of the Distinguished Scholars Program, certainly made the right choice. “The DSP is one of the best resources you could have as a student who’s in pursuit of academic excellence and collaboration with others,” said McArthur. “Once you’re accepted into the program your sophomore year, you begin a multi-year research project that you’ll present senior year. It’s a long-term process, and the college provides you with grants that allow you to travel anywhere in the world to study.”

McArthur’s own research has focused on women’s education in different regions of East Africa, a topic she was inspired to pursue after visiting Rwanda with a group of cadets to help restore local bike trails. “A lot of the children in the mountain villages can’t afford to go to school,” said McArthur. “I knew that going in, but seeing it firsthand was a different experience altogether.”

McArthur has been busy: the rising senior has conducted extensive research, both at home and abroad, where she utilized a DSP-sponsored grant to explore the National Archives in the United Kingdom and had the opportunity to learn about foreign diplomacy up close through an internship on Capitol Hill. In collaboration with the Rafiki Foundation, an NGO engaged in educational outreach in Africa, McArthur is spending the summer in Kenya interviewing students and teachers about their experiences. “The impact that education has had on me is profound,” said McArthur. “To be able to share that with others is even more so.”

Though McArthur chose the road less traveled the day she happened upon The Citadel’s campus, her passion for music still guides her academic journey. “Music brings people together under the auspices of mutual interest,” said McArthur. “It brings people together, and it connects people. As a foreign diplomat, you’re doing the same thing, just in a different facet of life.”

Elijah Bass, ’25, is leading from the front and inspiring others as he steps on stage with a purpose—and a message to share.

An active-duty Marine and psychology major, Bass took a course with Sean Fourney, Ph.D., director of the Patricia P. McArver Public Speaking Lab, to help prepare for the inaugural Lowcountry Speaking Invitational, where students shared personal speeches on stage.

The class focused not only on workshopping speeches and preparing students for competition, but also on the fundamentals of event planning—from building relationships with local businesses and sponsors to advertising the event. Bass and his fellow students went to Ashley Hall, a private girls’ school, to encourage young students to become involved in public speaking. “We played games to help them gain confidence,” said Bass. When it comes to public speaking, confidence is the name of the game. “It’s stressful, but once you do it, once you’re on stage telling your story, you feel that people know you better, and you just become so much more confident,” said Bass. “Who you are—and what you are capable of—shines with the lights on the stage.”

Bass’ own speech is based on his experience as The Citadel’s first active-duty football player. Bass walked onto the team after a lengthy break from the sport, having last played in the seventh grade. His speech, “Zero and Eleven,” refers to the Bulldogs’ 2023 season record. For Bass, failure is only the beginning of the journey. “Your record doesn’t define who you are; it primes you,” said Bass. “There are so many things that we’ve all failed at. But when you walk into the environment after a loss, you don’t recognize the failure. What you see is growth. Smooth seas never made for experienced sailors.”

As any Charlestonian can attest, tidal flooding is a part of life on Charleston’s peninsula, which The Citadel calls home, but for biology major Grace Laws, ’26, there’s more lurking in the water than meets the eye.

Laws spent the last year investigating tidal flood waters at three locations in Charleston alongside fellow Cadet Kamryn Peebles, under the guidance of Associate Professor Claudia Rocha. More specifically, they searched for evidence of Vibrio vulnificus, a pathogenic bacterium. “It’s most common in food poisoning,” said Laws, “but what we’re looking at is the way it can infect your bloodstream through open wounds.”

Laws and her fellow researchers tested flood water on Cedar Street, Market Street and Hagood Avenue during king tides— regularly occurring tidal events influenced by phases of the moon when the tide is especially high. While a regular high tide in Charleston reaches about 5.5 feet, a king tide can reach 7 or more feet, a difference that leads to significant road inundation, even without an associated rainstorm. “A king tide is huge,” said Laws. “Water can sit on the streets for a whole weekend.”

Laws worked to isolate the pathogen in the biology lab in Byrd Hall using a polymerase chain reaction test, a technique that amplifies DNA strands for easier analysis. The samples are then stored in nitrogen banks, which keep them frozen for future research.

For Laws, awareness of the problem is a crucial step toward solving it. “Unfortunately, all of our sample sites are located in under-resourced communities,” said Laws. “When a king tide comes in, people can’t even walk on the street to their house. The water is up to their knees. What is the effect of that? This research opens up those questions, and I think that’s important.”

Laws, a soccer player and Army ROTC scholarship cadet, plans to attend medical school with hopes of becoming an active-duty physician. “This research has really cultivated my interest in molecular biology and reinforced just how powerful these tiny things can be.”

William Heins, ’27, fondly remembers watching spy thrillers with his family as a child. The over-the-top action movies offered more than just entertainment—they left Heins with the desire to protect his country. Inspired by a family history of military service stretching back to the Revolutionary War, Heins has found his calling as an intelligence and security studies and criminal justice double major who is pursuing every opportunity to make his dream a reality.

The Tennessee native spent the spring semester in Washington, D.C., juggling two internships—one with the U.S. Marshals Service, and one in the House of Representatives working for Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee.

For Heins, seeing intelligence in action was transformative. “I’ve observed court security procedures, learned about the protective intelligence process for federal judges, and had the opportunity to take part in carrying out security protocols,” said Heins. “I’m learning how to practically implement everything that I’ve learned in the classroom.”

Heins, who aspires to a career in intelligence and national security, was fascinated by this inside look at the federal criminal justice system. “No matter how small a task you’re doing, you know it counts towards something,” said Heins.

Serving in Congressman Ogles’ office was equally rewarding for the rising junior. “He was my county mayor before he was my congressman,” said Heins. “I feel like I’m at a home away from home.” Heins gained experience in behind-the-scenes communications as well as the law-making side of the political process, doing everything from taking calls to interfacing with other congressional offices and helping draft bills.

“Not only am I learning how to implement these ideas that I’ve learned about in class, but I’m also learning how to communicate about them,” said Heins. “It’s incredible in the sense that it’s real. The people I’m talking to and working with are real, and the problems that I’m solving are real. I’m learning how to succeed, and I’m learning how to recover from failure.”

Heins’ cadet career has taken him from the capital of the United States to the capital of Scotland, where he performed in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo as a member of the Regimental Band and Pipes—showcasing not only his dedication to broadening his experiences but also his pride in representing The Citadel at home and abroad.

When Karessa Hill, ’25, saw that an intelligence course was being taught by Melissa Graves, Ph.D., department head and associate professor of intelligence and security studies, she didn’t hesitate to sign up—she knew she wanted to be in that classroom. “I trust that Dr. Graves has me in good hands,” said Hill. “That’s what everybody said. We know who Dr. Graves is, and we want to be in her class.”

Far from a typical lecture class, Graves’ course immerses students in real-time analysis and gives them direct access to one of the field’s leading authorities. Hill, alongside four other students, spent the semester learning about George Friedman’s intelligence forecasting model. Friedman, an expert in international affairs, foreign policy and intelligence, is the New York Times best-selling author of several books, including The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century. While reading the book and learning about Friedman’s intelligence-forecasting model for the foreseeable geopolitical future, students interacted with Friedman over a series of video calls. “We were given the opportunity to ask him questions,” said Hill. “He would break down the model and tell us what it meant.”

Hill and her classmates engaged in real-time dialogue with Friedman, discussing the application of intelligence forecasting to current events. “The model is built on the imperatives and constraints of a country,” said Hill. “Their imperatives are what they want to do, and their constraints are what’s holding them back.” Based on these factors, Friedman’s model can determine what a country is most likely to do given its current circumstances. Students also learned to analyze different political trends to forecast what might happen in the future. The video calls with Friedman took place in the training SCIF, or sensitive compartmented information facility, a training room in Capers Hall where cadets can learn how to handle classified material.

Hill, an intelligence and security studies major, found her passion for the subject during an internship in Washington, D.C., with Congresswoman Nancy Mace, ’99, the first female graduate from The Citadel’s Corps of Cadets. Hill was thrilled when she realized she once again had the opportunity to work directly with someone in the professional sphere, this time with a leading expert in intelligence rather than politics. “It was interesting to work with Dr. Friedman, just seeing how someone with insight into global intelligence operates,” said Hill. “That was the first time I’ve seen that kind of thinking up close and in person.”

Tristan Eberbach, ’25, found his research taking off—to California, that is. The physics major’s aerodynamics research took him from Grimsley Hall to the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California’s Silicon Valley.

Eberbach began working alongside Department Head and Professor of Physics Hank Yochum and Associate Professor Kaelyn Leake in the summer of 2023 to research different techniques for layer-by-layer thin film fabrication—material that can be used to help visualize and quantify pressure changes in a wind tunnel. Building on this research and an independent study his junior year focusing on wind pressure for a weather prediction device, Eberbach received an internship with NASA to work in the largest wind tunnel in the world. “I was working with NASA engineers,” said Eberbach. “I was the only intern, so they were having me do a lot of hands-on work. I got to do a lot of sensor implementation—things I would be doing in professional aerodynamics research.”

Though certainly the most junior member of the team, Eberbach was able to make meaningful contributions. “Most of the people there were engineers, and I think by having a physics background, I solved problems differently,” said Eberbach. One task was to help NASA technicians find a better way to measure the performance of the wind tunnel’s fan blades. Eberbach’s mathematical solution allowed NASA to gather a wide range of dynamics modeling. “With my background in physics,” said Eberbach, “I’ve gained confidence knowing that you really can bring your academic skills to bear upon the engineering or technical side of things.”

Eberbach returned to The Citadel ready to tackle new challenges, starting his senior year with an independent study course researching hurricane landfall movement with Assistant Professor Gabriel Williams, funded by a grant from NASA. Most recently, Eberbach completed his senior capstone, once again studying layer-by-layer thin film and testing its properties in the Grimsley Hall wind tunnel. As he begins his career in the aerospace field, one thing is clear—whatever the challenge, for Eberbach, it will be a breeze. 13 numerical data to aid in computational fluid

Elisha Byron, ’25, an active-duty student who has served in the United States Navy for nearly a decade, is solving big problems on a small scale. The Electrical Engineering major participated in a senior design project focused on implementing a centralized train control system on model trains at the Charleston Area Model Railroad Club inside Citadel Mall.

Byron, who has spent much of his naval career deployed on submarines, found he has a knack for the miniature. A volunteer at the railroad club since February 2022, Byron quickly worked his way up to a leadership position within the club, where drawing on his experience as an electrical technician has served him well.

Despite the small scale, Byron and his team applied large-scale safety technology. “We are solving a real-world problem that has realworld implications,” said Byron. “In real life, scores of people have died because of a lack of positive train control across the country.” For a student who represented The Citadel at the 2025 Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Case Competition, ethical considerations in safety are everything. The competition brings together students from top schools to tackle real-world ethical dilemmas in engineering.

If a train is in danger of derailing or colliding with another train, positive train control automatically halts the train, dramatically reducing the possibility of an accident. “If a train rolls through a red signal, a positive train control system automatically senses that the train is not where it’s supposed to be,” said Byron. “It sends a signal to stop the train, then automatically engages the air brakes.”

Byron, who hopes to pursue a career with the National Transportation Safety Board after one day retiring from the Navy, has found the experience valuable in more ways than one. “This process has shown me the value of scholarship; there’s so much more behind the scenes than just being good at fixing things,” said Byron. “Design considerations are really what separate the technician from the engineer. I’ve had half a decade of technician-level experience with electrical engineering components, and now I’m able to connect dots that I never connected before. Instead of just the how, this is showing the why behind everything.”