In true Citadel fashion, the academic year began with a loud blast. Kudos to Andrea Gross, Ed.D., Chad Faber and the admissions team—809 freshmen reported on August 16. With about 2,400 cadets now on campus, enrollment has returned to pre-COVID numbers.
As I think about the potential of these bright young minds, I am reminded of our obligation to prepare them for the world ahead. In August, faculty, staff and members of the Corps of Cadets gathered for the 2025 Forum on AI, Learning and Honor to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence. Surveys show that faculty are both excited about AI’s role in education and concerned about academic integrity. Maintaining that balance explains why the White House has called on senior military colleges to become AI educational hubs, teaching not only technical skills but also the critical literacy needed to lead responsibly in an AI-powered world. For The Citadel, that means stepping into a national role, deepening campus conversations and growing our AI ecosystem. Most importantly, it means teaching our students to use AI with sound judgment and integrity.
In other news, Karin Roof, Ph.D., director of accreditation and assessment, is leading a refresh of the Our Mighty Citadel strategic plan. The update will include opportunities to propose new initiatives and review existing ones. Please watch for ways to engage in this process.
Thank you for the work you do each day. I am excited to see what the semester brings.
Until next time,
Brigadier General Sally Selden, Ph.D., SPHR Provost and Dean of the College
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Tom Clark, Ph.D., director of the Krause Center, worked with Visiting Professor of Management Richard Savior, Ed.D., and Zane Segle, Ph.D., director of the Center for International and Special Programs, on a Cross-Cultural Competence (C3) Initiative in partnership with the Office of the Commandant.
Marketing professor Mark Rosenbaum, Ph.D., led a study abroad class to Poland titled Dark Tourism in Poland. Cadets Oliver Graham, Brady Wright and Zakary Dukette traveled with Rosenbaum to Warsaw and Krakow, where they visited several World War II sites, including Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Schindler's Factory, Polin Museum, Warsaw Ghetto and Nowa Huta.
Over the past year, evening student Natalie Mueller has worked with Associate Engineering Professor Tess Doeffinger, Ph.D., to translate research findings into a usable format. Mueller created an ArcGIS StoryMap that will soon be shared with the city of Folly Beach, giving residents a look at how adaptations to water-related risks have changed.
Over the summer, Cadet Harrison Bishop served as a research assistant on the Risks, Impacts, and Strategies for Coastal Communities grant, a multi-institutional project involving the University of Rhode Island, the University of Delaware, the College of Charleston, the University of South Carolina, and the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.
Three Citadel students have been accepted into the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences medical school. With an acceptance rate lower than many Ivy League institutions, admission to USUHS is a significant accomplishment. The acceptance of three students is a milestone and reflects the strength of the Pre-Health program across a variety of disciplines.
The Citadel has been awarded a five-year, $1.6 million Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant to strengthen computer science education in rural schools. Led by STEM Director Jen Albert, Ph.D., and Professor of Computer Science Deepti Joshi, Ph.D., the project will recruit 15 teachers this fall who will begin coursework in the spring.
Electrical engineering professor and department head Mark McKinney, Ph.D. has been named the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association’s newest president. ECEDHA encompasses all major electrical engineering and computer engineering programs at universities across North America.
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is celebrating faculty achievements, including a forthcoming book by Professor Emeritus Terry Mays, Ph.D., on the Arab League’s first peacekeeping operation, and the appointment of Associate Professor Vicente Gomis-Izquierdo, Ph.D., as interim head of Modern Languages.
