United States Naval Academy Totally Explained

Everything about United States Naval Academy totally explained

Dahlgren Hall (containing an ice hockey rink and a restaurant area). Named for John A. Dahlgren.

Lejeune Hall (built in 1982 - home to an Olympic class swimming pool, a mat room for wrestling and hand-to-hand martial arts and the Athletic Hall of Fame). Named for John A. Lejeune.

MacDonough Hall (holds a full-scale gymnastics area and two boxing rings as well as alternate swimming pools). Named for Thomas MacDonough.

The Officers' and Faculty Club and officers quarters spread around the Yard.

Ricketts Hall (Football, Lacrosse, Basketball offices) houses the locker room for the Navy Varsity Football team. Winner of five straight Commander-in-Chief trophies. Also home to the Naval Academy's Varsity sport weight room, where Midshipman athletes train.

Preble Hall houses the U.S. Naval Academy Museum.

Supervision of the Academy

In 1850 the academy was placed under the jurisdiction of the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography but was transferred to the Bureau of Navigation when that organization was established in 1862. The academy was placed under the direct care of the Navy Department in 1867, but for many years the Bureau of Navigation provided administrative routine and financial management.
As of 2004, the Superintendent of the Naval Academy reports directly to the Chief of Naval Operations. The current Superintendent is Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler.
The Commandant of Midshipmen is currently Captain Margaret D. Klein, USN who assumed that office in December 2006. In June 2008, Captain Matthew L. Klunder (USNA Class of 1982), a career naval aviator will become the Academy’s 83rd commandant.

Faculty

The faculty is roughly evenly divided between civilian professors and military instructors. The civilian professors nearly all have a Ph.D. and can be awarded tenure, usually upon promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor. Very few of the military instructors have a Ph.D. but nearly all have a Master's degree. Most of them are assigned to the Academy for only two or three years.

Permanent Military Professors (PMP)

A small number of military instructors are designated as Permanent Military Professors (PMP), all of whom have Ph.D.'s. The PMPs remain at the Academy until statutory retirement. Most of them are commanders in the Navy; a few are captains. Like civilian professors, they seek academic promotion to the rank of Associate Professor and Professor. However, they're not eligible for tenure. Additionally, there are Adjunct Professors, hired to fill temporary shortages in various disciplines. The Adjunct Professors are not eligible for tenure.

Student Activities

Athletics

The U.S. Naval Academy's varsity sports teams have no official name but usually are referred to in media as "the Midshipmen" (since all athletes are, in fact, midshipmen), or more informally as "the Mids." The term "middies" is generally considered derogatory. The sports teams' mascot is a goat named "Bill."
   The Midshipmen participate in the NCAA's Division I-A as an independent (for example, not a member of any conference) in football and in the NCAA Division I-level Patriot League in many other sports. The college fields 28 varsity sports teams and 18 club sports teams.
   The most important sporting event at the academy is the annual Army-Navy Game. The three major service academies (Navy, Air Force, and Army) compete for the Commander in Chief's Trophy, which is awarded to the academy that defeats the others in football that year (or retained by the previous winner in the event of a three-way tie).
   Naval Academy sports teams have many accomplishments at the international and national levels. In 1926, Navy's football team won the U.S. national championship based on both the Boand and Houlgate mathematical poll systems., and the Navy men's lacrosse team won 21 USILL or USILA national championships and was the NCAA Division I runner-up in 1975 and 2004. The men's fencing team won NCAA Division I championships in 1950, 1959, and 1962 and was runner-up in 1948, 1953, 1960, and 1963, and NCAA Division I championships were also earned by the 1945 men's outdoor track and field team and the 1964 men's soccer team. In basketball, the Navy men's team has appeared in the NCAA tournament 11 times and tied for fifth place in 1954 and 1986.
   The college's crew team won Olympic gold medals in men's eights in 1920 and 1952, and from 1907 to 1995 at Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta the team earned 30 championships, was runner-up 29 times, and had 31 third-place finishes. In intercollegiate shooting, the Naval Academy has won nine National Rifle Association rifle team trophies, seven air pistol team championships, and five standard pistol team titles. In addition, the men's squash team was the national nine-man team champion in 1957, 1959, and 1967, and the women's lacrosse team was U.S. Lacrosse WDIA national runner-up in 2001 and 2007. In 2007 the men's rugby team placed in the final four for the ninth time; the men's team was the national runner-up in 1994.
   Participation in athletics is, in general, mandatory at the Naval Academy and most Midshipmen not on an intercollegiate team must participate actively in intramural or club sports. There are exceptions for non-athletic Brigade Support Activities such as YP Squadron (a professional surface warfare training activity providing midshipmen the opportunity to earn the Craftmaster Badge) or the Drum and Bugle Corps.
   Varsity letter winners wear a specially issued blue cardigan with a large gold "N" patch affixed. Teams that beat Army in a year are awarded a gold star to affix near the "N" for each such victory.
   There is an unofficial (but previous National Champion) croquet team. Legend has it that in the early 1980s, a Mid and a Johnnie (slang for a student enrolled at St. John's College, Annapolis), were in a bar and the Mid challenged the Johnnie by stating that Midshipmen could beat St. John's at any sport. The St. John's student selected croquet. Since then, thousands attend the annual croquet match between St. John's and the 28th Company of the Brigade of Midshipmen (originally the 34th Company before the Brigade was reduced to 30 companies). As of 2006, the Midshipmen had a record of 5 wins and 19 losses to the St John's team.

Other extra-curricular activities

Midshipmen have the opportunity to participate in a broad range of other extracurricular activities including musical performance groups (Drum & Bugle Corps, Men's Glee Club, Women's Glee Club, Gospel Choir, an annual musical, and a bagpipe band, the Pipes & Drums), religious organizations, academic honor societies, Campus Girl Scouts, the National Eagle Scout Association, a radio station, and Navy and Marine Corps professional activities (diving, flying, seamanship, and the Semper Fidelis Society for future Marines). The Brigade once published a humor magazine called The Log, but this activity was discontinued in 2001. Among The Log's usual features were "Salty Sam," an anonymous member of the senior class who served as a gossip columnist, and the "Company Cuties," photos of male midshipmen's girlfriends. (This last was deemed offensive to women, and despite attempts to incorporate the boyfriends of female midshipmen in some issues, the "Company Cuties" were dropped from The Log's format by 1991.) The Log was once featured in Playboy Magazine for its parody of the famous periodical, called "Playmid." "Playmid" was an issue of The Log in 1989. The "Playmid" issue was ordered destroyed by Rear Admiral Virgil I. Hill, the Academy Superintendent at the time, but a handful of copies did survive, including the one which Playboy later showed. Earlier Log attempts to parody Playboy were much more successful, with the April 18, 1969, version as the most famous; some sections of this issue can be seen online at an alumni website.
The Academy also hosts an annual Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC). During this event -the country's largest undergraduate foreign affairs conference - civilian and military delegates from across the nation and around the world gather in Annapolis to discuss pressing international issues, focusing on a new, specific topic each year. Past NAFAC speakers have included President George H. W. Bush, Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Dr. Condoleezza Rice, and General Wesley Clark. This gathering is organized and run by a Midshipman staff; many Midshipmen participate in the conference as moderators, presenters, and delegates as well.

Appointment process

By an Act of Congress passed in 1903, two appointments as Midshipmen were allowed for each senator, representative, and delegate in Congress, two for the District of Columbia, and five each year at large. Currently each member of Congress and the Vice President can have five appointees attending the Naval Academy at any time. When any appointee graduates or otherwise leaves the academy, a vacancy is created. Candidates are nominated by their senator, representative, or delegate in Congress, and those appointed at large are nominated by the Vice President. The process isn't political and applicants don't have to know their Congressman to be nominated. Congressman generally nominate ten people per vacancy. They can nominate people in a competitive manner, or they can have a principal nomination. In a competitive nomination, all ten applicants are reviewed by the academy, to see who is the most qualified. If the congressman appoints a principal nominee, then as long as that candidate is physically, medically, and academically found qualified by the academy, he or she'll be admitted, even if there are more qualified applicants. The degree of difficulty in obtaining a nomination varies greatly according to the number of applicants in a particular state. The process of obtaining a nomination typically consists of completing an application, completing one or more essays, and obtaining one or more letters of recommendation and often requires an interview either in person or over the phone. These requirements are set by the respective senator or congressman and are in addition to the USNA application.
The Secretary of the Navy may appoint 170 enlisted members of the Regular and Reserve Navy and Marine Corps to the Naval Academy each year. Additional sources of appointment are open to children of career military personnel (100 per year); and 65 appointments are available to children of military members who were killed in action, or were rendered 100% disabled due to injuries received in action, or are currently prisoners of war or missing in action. Typically five to ten candidates are nominated for each appointment, which are normally awarded competitively; candidates who don't receive the appointment they're competing for may still be admitted to the Academy as a qualified alternate. If a candidate is considered qualified but not picked up, they may receive an indirect admission to either a Naval Academy Foundation prep school or the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport; the following year, these candidates enlist in the Navy Reserve (or, in the case of prior enlisted members, remain in the Navy) and are eligible for Secretary of the Navy nominations, which are granted as a matter of course. To receive an appointment to the Naval Academy, students at the Naval Academy Preparatory School must first pass with a 2.0 QPA (A mix of GPA and Fitness Assessments), as well as receive a recommendation for appointment from the Commanding Officer.
Additionally, children of Medal of Honor recipients don't need a nomination but only need to qualify for admission.

Admissions requirements

To be admitted, candidates must be between seventeen and twenty-three years of age upon entrance, unmarried with no children, and of good moral character. The current process includes a college application, personality testing, standardized testing, and personal references. Candidates for admission must also undergo a physical aptitude test (the CFA or Candidate Fitness Assessment [formerlythe Physical Readiness Examination]) as well as a complete physical exam including a separate visual acuity test to be eligible for appointment. A medical waiver will automatically be sought on behalf of candidates with less than 20/20 vision, as well as a range of other injuries or illnesses. The physical aptitude test is most often administered by a high school physical education teacher or sports team coach.
A small number of international students, usually from smaller allied or friendly countries, are admitted into each class. (International students from larger allies, such as Britain and France, typically come as shorter-term exchange students from their national naval colleges or academies.) For the class of 2009, 11 international students were admitted from 10 different countries—two from Guyana and one each from Honduras, Ireland, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Curricula

The Naval Academy received accreditation as an approved "technological institution" in 1930. In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law an act of Congress providing for the Bachelor of Science Degree for the Naval, Military, and Coast Guard Academies. The Class of 1933 was the first to receive this degree and have it written in the diploma. In 1937, an act of Congress extended to the Superintendent of the Naval Academy the authority to award the Bachelor of Science degree to all living graduates. The Academy later replaced a fixed curriculum taken by all midshipmen with the present core curriculum plus 21 major fields of study, a wide variety of elective courses and advanced study and research opportunities. Currently, all 21 majors are:

Aerospace Engineering

Arabic

Chemistry

Chinese

Computer Science

Economics

Electrical Engineering

English

General Engineering

General Science

History

Information Technology

Mathematics

Mechanical Engineering

Physics

Quantitative Economics

Systems Engineering

Moral education

Moral and ethical development is fundamental to all aspects of the Naval Academy. From Plebe Summer through graduation, the Officer Development Program, a four-year integrated program, focuses on integrity, honor, and mutual respect based on the moral values of respect for human dignity, respect for honesty and respect for the property of others. One of the goals of the program is to develop midshipmen to possess a sense of their own moral beliefs and the ability to express them. Honor is emphasized through the Honor Concept of the Brigade of Midshipmen. Brigade Honor Committees composed of upper-class midshipmen are responsible for the education and training of the Honor Concept, midshipmen found in violation of the Honor Concept by their peers are separated from the Naval Academy.

Small Satellite Program

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) Small Satellite Program (SSP) was founded in 1999 to actively pursue flight opportunities for miniature satellites designed, constructed, tested, and commanded or controlled by Midshipmen.
Currently under-development are the first generation MidSTAR I (USNA) and second generation MidSTAR II (USNA) satellites which stemmed from the USNA MidSTAR Program. Midstar I was launched March 8th, 2007.

Women at the Naval Academy

The Naval Academy first accepted women as Midshipmen in 1976, when Congress authorized the admission of women to all of the service academies. Women comprise about 19 percent of entering plebes. They pursue the same academic and professional training as do their male classmates, except that certain physical aptitude standards for women are lower than for men, mirroring the standards of the Navy itself. Women have most recently composed about 17 percent of each graduating class, however this number continues to rise.
   Captain Margaret D. Klein, became the first female Commandant of Midshipmen in December 2006 and is responsible for the military and professional development of the Brigade of Midshipmen. She was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, commissioned in 1981 and designated a Naval Flight Officer in 1983. She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, with a Bachelor of Science and a 1999 graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a Masters of Education. Following the 2003 U.S. Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal and due to concern with sexual assault in the U.S. military the Department of Defense was required to establish a task force to investigate sexual harassment and assault at the United States military academies in the law funding the military for fiscal 2004. The report, issued August 25, 2005 showed that during 2004 50% of the women at Annapolis reported instances of sexual harassment while 99 incidents of sexual assault were reported . There had been an earlier incident in 1990 which involved male midshipmen chaining a female midshipman to a urinal after she threw a snowball at him and then taking pictures of her .
   Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Rodney Rempt issued a statement: "With the benefit of the Defense Task Force's assessment and recommendations, we'll continue to strive to establish a climate which encourages reporting of these incidents, so we can support the victim and deal with allegations fairly and appropriately. The very idea that any member of the Naval Academy family could be part of an environment that fosters sexual harassment, misconduct, or even assault is of great concern to me, and it's contrary to all we're trying to do and achieve. Preventing and deterring this unacceptable behavior is a leadership issue that I and all the Academy leaders take to heart. The public trusts that the Service Academies will adhere to the highest standards and that we'll serve as beacons that exemplify character, dignity and respect. We will increase our efforts to meet that trust." Superintendent Rempt has recently been criticized for not allowing former Navy quarterback Lamar Owens to graduate, despite his acquittal on a rape charge. Some alumni have attributed this to an overeagerness on Rempt's part to placate critics urging a crackdown on sexual assault and harassment.
   In 1979, James H. Webb published a provocative essay opposing the integration of women at the Naval Academy titled "Women Can't Fight." Webb was an instructor at the Naval Academy in 1979 when he wrote the article for Washingtonian magazine that was critical of women in combat and of them attending the service academies. The article, in which he referred to the dorm at the Naval Academy that housed 4,000 men and 300 women as "a horny woman's dream," was written three years after the Academy admitted women. Webb said he didn't write the headline.
   On November 7, 2006, Webb was elected to the U.S. Senate from Virginia. His election opponent, then senator George Allen, raised the 1979 article as a campaign issue, depicting Webb as being opposed to women in military service. Webb's response read in part, "I am completely comfortable with the roles of women in today's military.... To the extent that my writings subjected women at the Academy or the active armed forces to undue hardship, I remain profoundly sorry." In a political advertisement for Allen five female graduates of the United States Naval Academy said the article helped foster an air of hostility and harassment towards females within the academy.

Items of interest at the Academy

Japanese Bell. This was brought back to the United States by Commodore Matthew Perry following his famous mission to Japan in 1851. The bell is placed in front of Bancroft Hall and rung in a semi-annual ceremony for each victory that Navy has registered over Army, to include one of the nation's oldest football rivalries, the Army-Navy Game. The current bell is an exact replica of the original, which the United States Navy returned to the Japanese people in the 1980s.

Tecumseh Statue. This statue is a bronze replica of the figurehead of ship-of-the-line USS Delaware. It was presented to the Academy by the Class of 1891. This bust, one of the most famous relics on the campus, is commonly known as Tecumseh. However, when it adorned the American man-of-war, it commemorated not Tecumseh but Tamanend, the revered Delaware chief who welcomed William Penn to America. The original wooden figurehead is in the Naval Academy fieldhouse. In times past, the bronze replica was considered a good-luck "mascot" for the midshipmen, who threw pennies at it and offered left-handed salutes whenever they wanted a 'favor', such as a sports win over West Point, or spiritual help for examinations. Today it's used as a morale booster during football weeks and on special occasions when Tecumseh is painted in themes to include super heroes, action heroes, humorous figures, a leprachaun (before Saint Patrick's Day) and a naval officer (during Commissioning Week).

Battle ensigns. Famous flags of the U.S. Navy and captured flags from enemy ships are displayed throughout the academy. The most famous, perhaps, is the "Don't Give Up the Ship" flag flown by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813; it bears the dying words of Captain James Lawrence, captain of the USS Chesapeake. It was displayed in Memorial Hall, which is in the portion of Bancroft Hall open to the general public (It is currently undergoing restoration and a replica is in its place).

Herndon Monument. Every year as part of the year end festivities, this monument is covered with lard and "Plebes" (freshmen or Fourth Class Midshipmen) attempt to climb the monument, remove a "dixie cup" (the headwear of a plebe) and put a hat ("cover") on top. This symbolizes the successful completion of their first year. Legend also has it that the midshipman who places the sailors cap upon the monument will be the first member of the class to reach the rank of Admiral. The Monument was commissioned by the Officers of the U.S. Navy as a tribute to Commander William Lewis Herndon (1813-1857) after his loss in the Pacific Mail Steamer Central America during a hurricane off the North Carolina coast on September 12, 1857. Herndon had followed the long time custom of the sea that a ship's captain is the last person to depart his ship in peril. It was erected in its current location on June 16, 1860 and has never been moved even though the Academy was completely rebuilt between 1899 and 1908.

Naval Academy Chapel The historic Chapel, at the center of the campus, across from Herndon Monument, has a high dome visible throughout Annapolis. The Chapel was featured on a postal service stamp in 1995.

Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel, primarily funded with private donations, was dedicated on September 23, 2005. The Chapel is named after Commodore Uriah P. Levy and houses a Jewish chapel, the honor board, ethics, character learning center, officer development spaces, a social director, and academic boards. The architecture features Jerusalem stone and the exterior of the building is consistent with the existing architecture of nearby Bancroft Hall.

Bibliography

Forney, Todd A. The Midshipman Culture and Educational Reform: The U.S. Naval Academy, 1946-76. Associated U. Press, 2004. 409 pp.

H. Michael Gelfand. Sea Change at Annapolis: The United States Naval Academy, 1949-2000 U of North Carolina Press, 2006

Karsten, Peter. The Naval Aristocracy: The Golden Age of Annapolis and the Emergence of Modern American Navalism. Free Press, 1972. 462 pp.

Ross MacKenzie. Brief Points: An Almanac for Parents and Friends of U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen (2004)

Todorich, Charles. The Spirited Years: A History of the Antebellum Naval Academy. Naval Institute Press, 1982. 215 pp.

1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.Further Information

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