Spring 2006 - Vol. 2, Issue 3

Articles for the Spring 2006 edition of The Fount are now available.
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Dean's Message

Alfred J. Finch, Jr., Ph.D., ABPP Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences Colonel, SCM al.finch@citadel.edu

The Core (Corps) Curriculum

During the last three years, I have talked extensively about our efforts to increase the multicultural awareness of our students and to help them develop a global perspective. In fact I have talked so much about it that one alumnus recently requested assurance that we maintain the core curriculum. He stated that he had found the required courses he had to take at The Citadel to be some of the most useful. This article will focus on the core curriculum which I like to think of as the corps curriculum. Just as all cadets at The Citadel go through similar experiences in the corps; all cadets experience a similar core curriculum.

The notion of a core curriculum goes back to the ancient Greeks who proposed a “curriculum” to educate citizens to be knowledgeable, moral leaders. The curriculum was designed to be what free men, as opposed to slaves, should know. Thus the term liberal education means what free and moral leaders should know and has no political implications. At The Citadel the core curriculum provides this part of a cadet’s education. The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) teaches approximately 65% of the core curriculum and is one of the major players in it.

What should be the goals of the core curriculum? Numerous articles and papers have been written on this topic and I will not attempt to review them or even reference my sources as they have combined into and influenced my own way of thinking about the topic.

First an educated (free) person must be able to think and write clearly and effectively. The courses offered in the core curriculum by SHSS are writing intensive with many of them requiring oral presentations. Most students arrive at the college level without the skills to communicate their thoughts and ideas in a clear and precise manner. The development of these skills is a difficult and time consuming process. Although data are not available from graduates of The Citadel, recent research indicates that only 25% of American college graduates are deemed proficient from a literacy point of view. In addition to the tireless energy of the faculty, The Citadel is fortunate to have other resources available to our students. Thanks to funds from the Foundation, The Citadel has been able to conduct regular workshops for the faculty on incorporating writing across the curriculum. Similarly thanks to generous donations from donors and the support of the Foundation, we have other helpful resources. The Center for Writing and Learning Strategies has served as an invaluable resource for our students in polishing their writing skills. An Oral Communications Laboratory has been established and a Toast Masters International been made available on campus. These resources have greatly enhanced our students’ development of communication skills. 

The core curriculum should help develop a critical appreciation of the ways we gain and apply knowledge and understanding of ourselves, our society and our universe. Specifically we want students to develop skills in acquiring information and understanding how to make decisions based on this information. Students are required to study the methods of not only the social and physical sciences but also the methods of history and languages. Regardless of what our alumni do after leaving The Citadel, they need to know how to acquire information and make informed decisions in order to be effective, principled leaders.

The third goal of a core curriculum is to help students develop an understanding of, and experience in thinking about, moral and ethical problems. Although a specific course in philosophy or ethics is not required in The Citadel’s core curriculum, ethical decision making is discussed and explored in many of the courses throughout the curriculum including English, history, psychology, political sciences, criminal justice, ROTC and others. Recently through the efforts and generosity of an alumnus we have been able to sponsor a series of seminars on legal and ethical issues in the military as another way of infusing our curriculum with ethical decision making.

A contemporary core curriculum must be global and must provide students with exposure to the ideas, beliefs, and experiences of other cultures. Graduates can no longer conduct their lives without a greater understanding of the world at large. The belief in this principle of the core curriculum has been the stimulus for a number of the new programs that we have developed in the last three years.

Finally, the curriculum of a college should provide the opportunity to develop a depth of knowledge in a specific area – the major. At The Citadel, we offer a wide variety of majors and each student is required to concentrate in at least one of these areas. The big question that we will need to address in the next few years is the amount of time that one needs to spend on the area of concentration verses the amount of time required in the core curriculum and the amount of time available for electives. The debate over this issue is likely to intensify in the next few years and has already become a major issue on campus.

The debate over the allocation of time for study in the major area as opposed to the core curriculum and electives is a clashing of cultures and belief systems. Generally the “professional” schools end up on one side of the debate while the more traditional arts and science faculty are on the other. Issues of accreditation are in conflict with issues of liberal education and the core curriculum. Emotions run high and each side of the debate feels its position is correct. As we move forward, how we address this debate, will determine the future of not only The Citadel but its graduates.

I will close by paraphrasing Roger Smith, the former CEO of General Motors who said that a liberal education may be the most important type of education because it helps people learn to tolerate ambiguity and bring order from what appears to be confusion. We strive to give our students these skills and to continue to develop them in our self.

Spotlight on

On March 20, 2006, The Citadel School of Humanities and Social Sciences invited Mr. Joseph Galloway to speak on “Issues of War and Peace”. Mr. Galloway is the senior military correspondent for Knight Ridder Newspapers, working in their Washington Bureau and is also author of a weekly column on military and national security affairs. He recently concluded a brief assignment as a special consultant to General Colin Powell at the State Department.

The Citadel awarded Palmetto Medals to Fred Lewis Price Jr., '75, and Frederick Ogden Nash, '06, Psychology Major, of Hilton Head Island. Cadet Nash’s high academic achievement has earned him Gold Stars as well as multiple Dean's List, President's List and Commandant's List designations. He also served as president of The Citadel's chapter of Psi Chi, the national psychology honor society, during his sophomore and junior years. 

The Palmetto Medal is the highest honor the college can bestow with the exception of honorary degrees. The Citadel Board of Visitors annually presents the Palmetto Medal to cadets, faculty, staff or alumni in recognition of exceptional performance that reflects great credit on The Citadel or the state of South Carolina.

Cadet Col. Frederick Ogden Nash of Hilton Head Island, SC, received a major award from The Society of the Cincinnati during parade on Friday, February 24, 2005. Cadet Col. Nash is the top ranking cadet officer as the Regimental Commander for 2006. Nash has made Gold Stars, Dean’s List, the President’s List and Commandant’s List. Campus activities include volunteering with the Buddy Program, coaching basketball for mentally and physically challenged people and working with Special Olympics. He is a Psychology Major.

The Summerall Guards is a 61-member silent drill platoon at The Citadel. Voted its most outstanding member was Cadet Owen Michael Broom, the Guard first sergeant. Cadet Broom is a member of Oscar Company and a political science major from Houston, Texas. “He excelled in ensuring the unit was in place, on time, and in the correct uniform for every event the unit went to this year," said Maj. Ken Boes, the staff advisor to the Summerall Guards.

The Society of the Cincinnati award is given annually to the senior cadet officer who best exemplifies the combined qualities of a good soldier and a good citizen. These citizen-soldier characteristics are modeled after Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a Roman farmer who became a successful general. Charter members of the Society of the Cincinnati include George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Marquis de Lafayette.

Fall President’s List announced

The President's List is the most distinguished awards list on which a cadet can be placed. It indicates excellence in academics and military duties.

The President's List is a combination of the Dean's List and the Commandant's Distinguished List, the latter of which is composed of cadets who contribute the most to their companies and who have excellent military and academic records.

Cadets on the President’s List from the SHSS Departments are:

First Class

Rodney Victor Baum – Criminal Justice (International Politics ) Major – Spanish Minor

Matthew Joseph Henfey – Criminal Justice (International Politics) Major – Spanish Minor

Christopher Joseph Mantica – History Major

Joseph Cole Miller – Political Science (American Government) Major

Patrick Wilson Thacker – History Major

William Beaty Thomas – History Major

Second Class

George Joseph Aubin – Political Science (Law and Legal Studies) Major

Timothy Andrew Devine – History Major

Joshua Caleb Mallow – Criminal Justice Major

Austin Grey McLain – Criminal Justice

Bradley Scott Perdue – History Major

Michael Callaghan Sadler – History Major

William Justin Self – Criminal Justice

Third Class

Stephen Hyunzin Cha – Political Science and History Major

Andrew Ira Harris – English Major – Political Science and French Minor

Chase Henderson Mohler – Political Science Major

James Paul Papagni – Criminal Justice

Brent Walker Wood – Political Science Major

Fourth Class

Michael Scott Brinson – Political Science Major

Daniel Paul Fitzgerald – History Major

English Department

Writing Project and The Citadel to host Summer Institute:

The Lowcountry Writing Project, the local affiliate of the National Writing Project, will host its annual Invitational Summer Institute June 5th - 29th at The Citadel.

Open to public and private school teachers from all grades and all disciplines, the institute will focus on effective ways to teach writing and use writing as a learning tool, with participants leading demonstrations of effective teaching practices.

An application and an interview are required, but teachers selected to attend will receive free books and tuition, six hours of graduate credit and a $100 stipend.

Applications will be accepted through May 1, with interviews May 2 at The Citadel. Interested teachers may call Tom Thompson at 843-953-1418 or visit the Lowcountry Writing Project web site - www.citadel.edu/writingproject - for more details.

Writing Project Secures Study Group Grant

The Lowcountry Writing Project (LWP), directed by Dr. Tom Thompson (Associate Professor of English), has been awarded a $4,000 grant to start study groups for area school teachers in the 2006-2007 academic year. The LWP provides professional development for K-12 teachers in all disciplines, with the goal of improving student learning by improving the ways teachers use writing as a learning tool.

This grant, awarded by the National Writing Project, will allow up to 40 Lowcountry teachers to engage in professional discussions with peers on a monthly basis. Each group will select a book on a topic relevant to the needs and interests of the participating teachers. The LWP will provide the books and the group facilitators. At the end of the year, each group will provide a “report” of some type—an in-service program or perhaps a panel discussion—for other faculty members at the participating schools. The facilitators will also present the results of their work at the 2007 National Writing Project conference in New York.

In addition to improving student learning, the LWP also develops teacher leaders—a goal congruent with the mission statement for the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. The group facilitators, all of whom completed a Summer Institute sponsored by the LWP, will gain visibility in their respective schools as they facilitate year-round professional discussions, and they will participate in, and contribute to, the larger professional community as they become conference presenters at the New York conference and at other conferences.

History Department

Dr. Kathrine H. Grenier, History Department Professor, published a book, Tourism and Identity in Scotland, 1770-1914: Creating Caledonia (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005), in the fall of 2005.

The Department of History invited Dr. Raymond O. Arsenault to speak at The Citadel on April 4, 2006. Dr. Arsenault’s topic was “The Freedom Rides of 1961”. Dr. Arsenault is the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History and codirector of the Florida studies program at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. He is the author of the two prizewinning books on Southern politics and society as well as the classic essay “The End of the Long Hot Summer”. His most recent book is Freedom Riders 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice (2006).

Modern Language Department

The Citadel’s Tau lota Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society announced the 2005 Lowcountry Spanish Teacher of the Year on November 15, 2005, at a reception at The Citadel. Jennifer Bryant, teacher at Eastside High School since 2002, was the winner of the award. “Ms. Bryant’s comprehensive dedication to teaching the Hispanic language and culture in the Palmetto State earned her this prestigious inaugural award among an outstanding field of very deserving nominees,” said Dr. Mark P. Del Mastro, director and founder of the contest.

The Citadel is on a Fulbright roll. With his award of a Fulbright to study in Germany, senior Cadet Drew Brooks of Springfield, Va., is the 10th cadet to be granted a Fulbright from The Citadel since 1992 and the sixth cadet in five years to receive a Fulbright to study in Germany

Cadet Andrew Lee Brooks, Modern Languages Major, was selected for the Fulbright Scholarship Award and will study and perform some Archeological research in Cologne, Germany.

Political Science & Criminal Justice Department

Cadet Kevin Saboori, Political Science/Criminal Justice Major, has been accepted to study abroad at Suffolk University Madrid Campus, for the fall 2006 semester. 

On February 23, 2006, in Duckett Hall Auditorium, The Citadel Symposium on Military Legitimacy and Leadership hosted a panel discussion addressing the challenges facing today’s American soldier. Leading the panel was retired Army Gen. William Hartzog. Sponsored by the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, the event was free and open to the public.

The Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice is pleased to announce a new Master of Arts in Social Science degree being offered in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Available with the start of the fall 2005 semester, this 36-hour graduate degree is designed to provide students with a broad social science background through an interdisciplinary study of political science, criminal justice, sociology, anthropology, psychology and related disciplines.

“This master of arts degree demonstrates The Citadel's on-going commitment to the adult learners of the Lowcountry,” said Ray Jones, associate dean for the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. “We know that many adults seek the freedom to self-structure a high quality on-campus degree that will fit their career and lifestyle needs.”

Approved in May 2005, the program replaces the department’s previous graduate program, the Master of Arts in Education (Social Science). The previous program was originally intended to provide specialized educational opportunities for public school teachers seeking to expand their teaching competencies. It has since evolved to be a much broader professional degree that attracts a variety of students interested in acquiring a graduate degree as an avenue for enhancing their careers (e.g., law enforcement personnel, criminal justice practitioners such as probation officers, paralegals).

"This new MA in Social Science program offers Lowcountry residents the opportunity for advanced education in increasingly important and growing areas, under the guidance of high quality and experienced instructors,” said Dr. Gardel Feurtado, head of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice.

Building on prior years’ successes, six Citadel students from the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice participated in the Twenty-First Annual Model NATO Conference held from February 22 to February 25, 2006 in Washington, D.C. This year’s Citadel delegation represented Iceland in the 26 member Alliance.   Staying in character was a real challenge for the students; Iceland’s low profile and lack of armed forces compelled the students to approach alliance dynamics in terms of “soft power” and diplomacy. Despite these complications, The Citadel’s delegation conducted itself with distinction and certainly made its presence known. Next year’s conference also promises to be intriguing - The Citadel will represent Turkey.

The following Citadel students were members of the 2006 Model NATO delegation: Morgan Cina, Travis Duncan, David Kahkonen, Caleb Ling, Joshua Pozsik, and Michael Telford

Ten members of the Criminal Justice Society traveled to Washington, D.C. in early March to visit the FBI Headquarters as well as the offices of the Secret Service, and the Central Intelligence Agency. With the help of Mike Rogers, Director of Alumni Affairs and Publications, the cadets also spent time at the FBI training academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Bob McNamara, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, published three books in 2006: Boundary Dwellers: The Lives of Homeless Women in Transitional Housing; A New Look at American Society; and Boundaries: Readings in Juvenile Justice.

Drs. Robert Steed and Laurence Moreland's new book entitled, WRITING SOUTHERN POLITICS, CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS will be published in June by the University of Kentucky Press. This work includes contributions from 17 authors, including Steed, Moreland and Dr. Branwell Kapeluck of the Citadel Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice.

The book is the most comprehensive review of the large body of post-WW II literature on southern politics. The contributors take V.O. Key Jr.’s work, SOUTHERN POLITICS IN STATE AND NATION, as a touchstone to identify major themes, examine areas of scholarly disagreement, and make understandable the key dimensions and contours of the region's politics, while developing an agenda for future research on the changes that will likely shape the region over the next half century. Steed and Moreland are both professors of political science at The Citadel where they have conducted the biennial Citadel Symposium on southern parties, elections and political behavior.

The Fifteenth Citadel Symposium on Southern Politics was held on The Citadel campus on March 2-3, 2006. Organized by the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice and funded by grants from The Citadel Foundation, this symposium has come to be recognized as the country’s leading conference on the politics of the South. Since its inception in 1978, over a hundred leading scholars have presented and discussed well over 300 research papers on a wide range of topics related to southern politics.

This year’s symposium consisted of eleven panels and roundtables and attracted approximately 75 southern politics scholars from all over the country as well as from Canada. Special features included a luncheon address by Professor James Glaser of Tufts University, a roundtable on teaching southern politics classes, and a roundtable on the 2004 presidential election in the South. 

Cadet Douglas James Schmid, Political Science Major, was selected for the Truman Scholarship award. This highly selective recognition identifies an individual as one of America’ next generation of leaders in the area of public policy. Cadet Schmid was one of seventy-five recipients of the Truman Scholarship nationwide. This award will give Cadet Schmid the opportunity to network with top leaders in government and public service during a week-long seminar at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. The support and hard work of Political Science/Criminal Justice Professor, Dr. Jack Porter, Director of the Honors Program, Dr. Jack Rhodes and Assistant Provost, Major Luanne M. Beddingfield, helped Cadet Schmid in achieving this award and is very much appreciated.

Psychology Department

The Psychology Department is pleased to announce that eight cadets and six graduate students attended the annual Southeastern Psychological Association Convention held in Atlanta, Ga. on March 16th – March 19th, 2006. The graduate students and professors that made poster presentations were:

• Ms. Tiffany DeVane and Dr. Steve Nida presented “Implicit Attitudes Toward People With Disabilities: Can They Be Changed?”

• Ms. Jana Garl and Dr. Conway Saylor presented “Predictors of Social Competence in Youth With Spina Bifida.”

Paper presentations:

• Ms. Jessica Stinson and Drs. Nida, DeRoma and Matthews presented “Client Perception of Confrontation and Directives in Substance Abuse Treatment.”

• Mr. Brad Leach and Dr. Saylor presented “Perceived Peer Victimization in Youth With and Without Disabilities.”

Along with graduate student James Collins Drs. Nida, Finch and Allen made a poster presentation entitled, “The Future of SEPA: A Survey of the Members.”

Dr. Allen presided over the “Memory and Learning” poster session.

Graduate student Melissa Wohlfeiler gave a poster presentation entitled, “Paternal vs. Maternal Contributors to Cognitive and Behavioral Outcome of Children With Spina Bifida” at the 2006 National Conference on Child Health Psychology in Gainesville, Florida on April 19th - 22nd.

Graduate student Katie Scott and Professor Maya Khanna attended the Child Language Processing Conference in New York City on March 21st. They gave a presentation entitled, “Hough Dou You Know Wat Tou Sai?”

Graduate students Constance Leahy, Sarah Smith and Richard Montgomery and Dr. Ryan Allen, Professor, Department of Psychology, attended the 38th Annual Convention for the National Association of School Psychologists in Anaheim, CA on March 28th – April 1st. Ms. Leahy presented the poster entitled, “Matrice Tests: DAS-II and Traditional Nonverbal IQ Assessment.” Mr. Montgomery presented “Scales 2nd Edition”; and Ms. Smith presented “PA316 Comparison of WISC-IV FSIQ and GAI in a Clinical Sample.”

Dr. Steve Nida, Professor and Department Head of Psychology has been invited to participate in the Harvard Summer Institutes Management Development Program this summer at Harvard.