More than 400 cadets from The Citadel accepted their degrees during commencement on Saturday, May 3, joining the Long Gray Line. Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles Duke Jr., the 10th person to walk on the moon, was the speaker.
Three awards were presented during the ceremony. Cadet Andrew Palmer was named First Honor Graduate. Cadet Timothy Kolb Jr. received the Second Honor Graduate Award. Cadet Grant Kidner was awarded the John O. Willson Ring, presented annually to the senior elected by classmates as the finest, purest and most courteous member of the class.
The day before graduation, cadets took part in a joint commissioning ceremony. In all, 174 were commissioned as U.S. armed services officers during the academic year. Popular academic programs for the Class of 2025 included intelligence and security studies, mechanical engineering, management, criminal justice, political science, finance, marketing and business development.
Also on Saturday afternoon, more than 350 students from The Citadel Graduate College received their degrees. Board of Visitors member Col. Allison Dean Love, CGC ’93, was the speaker. At an awards ceremony earlier in the week, graduating students who excelled, along with outstanding faculty who guided them, were recognized. Among the student recipients were Dalton Hazelwood, recipient of the Graduate Student Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership, and Natalie Mueller, recipient of the College Transfer Program Student Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership.
The most popular graduate programs included: master’s in business administration, psychology, project management, intelligence and security studies, leadership and literacy education.