Existing comment:
The NEW Naval Academy:
Following the war with Spain, victorious commanders, officers, and crews were greeted as heroes, but naval experts realized that was much room for improvement. New ships and new weapons demanded officers and crews be trained in their use. As the training school for future naval officers, the Naval Academy benefited from the awakened interest in the Navy. With the turn of the twentieth century, the Academy gained many of the buildings that still grace the Yard, a modern school for the modern navy. Secretary of the Navy John D. Long requested one million dollars from Congress to begin the rebuilding of the Naval Academy in accordance with the plans of Ernest Flagg.
The Naval Academy Today:
As the Naval Academy entered the 21st century, its curriculum as little resembles that of a hundred, or even fifty, years earlier as today's Navy resembles that of earlier generations. Midshipmen still learn military and leadership skills by doing, but these are grounded in the analytic skills learned in modern classrooms and educational environment.
Today, as in the past, all midshipmen receive a broad-based general education in preparation for service in the Navy or Marine Corps. The core of the curriculum focuses on science, engineering, and social science. No one can be a specialist in everything, so not midshipmen are allowed to seek majors in a subject of their, and the service's, interest. The education now, more than ever in the past, emphasizes an ability to think, analyze, and communicate clearly.
Without Regard to Gender:
After more than 130 years, women gained their place in the Brigade as midshipmen. First admitted in 1976, they arrived during a period of revolutionary change. The Naval Academy was actively recruiting blacks along with other minorities and reforming the education of midshipmen with emphasis on academic excellence. Despite the enormous changes, much remained the same -- tradition, discipline, and spirit. Changes were both obvious and subtle, and demanded of all midshipmen strength of character and sense of cooperation.
Until 1994, females were excluded from combat roles, leading to the attitude among many male midshipmen that women were not really training to be warriors and therefore should not be a part of the Brigade. In that year, the combat exclusion law was changed, providing women with opportunities nearly equal to those of the men. Given the opening, women graduates have shown their mettle in combat.
Induction Day, or I-Day, begins the metamorphosis from civilian to midshipmen. New members of the Class of 1980 begin the change with "dixie cup" hats and T-shirts. Everyone gets a regulation hair cut, whether or not you need one.
On Induction Day 1976, 81 women entered the Brigade of Midshipmen, 55 graduated with the Class of 1980. After twenty years, thirty percent remained in the service, a figure equal to that of the men. They continue, as have graduates for more than 160 years, to lead and contribute in all walks of life.
Thirty years after that first I Day, more than twenty percent of the entering class is female.
Professor Rae Jean Goodman:
Professor Rae Jean Goodman joined the Naval Academy economics department in August 1973 and became the first woman civilian faculty member at the Academy. She also holds the distinction as the first woman faculty member promoted to full professor. In addition to her work in the Economics Department, Professor Goodman currently serves as Director of Teaching and Learning for the Faculty Enhancement Center. |