Final Report of the West Point Study Group 23 SEP 1977 ERRATA SHEET p. iii, line 16 should read "Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges" p. 4, insert ; on line 28 between "for" and "ethic" p. 42, line 2, "agendas" should read "agenda" p. 90, line 40, should read "of relative . . . " DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR PERSONNEL WASHINGTON, D.C. 20310 DAPE-ZBW 27 July 1977 General Bernard W. Rogers Chief of Staff United States Army Washington, DC 20310 Dear General Rogers, Attached is the report of the West Point Study Group charged by you to examine all aspects of the United States Military Academy. The undersigned are in agreement with the findings and recommendations contained therein and recommend early attention be given to them. The enthusiastic assistance accorded the Study Group by civilian and governmental institutions was of great value. The respect, deep concern, and great affection for the Military Academy evidenced throughout the country was not only heartwarming but inspired our work. We have been heartened by the dedication and quality of the cadets, faculty, and staff of the Military Academy and by the basic strengths of the institution. We note that West Point is changing and has changed even as we conducted our inquiry. We are encouraged by the initiative already taken to address many of the problems discussed in this report. Deeply aware of the responsibility that you placed on us, we respectfully submit this report. Sincerely yours, HILLMAN DICKINSON JACK V. MACKMULL JACK N. MERRITT Major General, USA Major General, USA Brigadier General, USA Chairman, Academic Chairman, Environment Chairman, Military Committee Committee Professional Development Committee TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Letter of Transmittal i Preface iii Chapter I Introduction 1 Chapter II Recommendations 9 Chapter III The Environment 33 Chapter IV Governance 35 Chapter V Academic Program 60 Chapter VI Military Professional Development Program 96 Chapter VII Intercollegiate Athletics 125 Chapter VIII Extracurricular Activities 133 Chapter IX Honor Code and System 136 Appendixes A Borman Report Recommendations, Army Response, 143 Study Group Recommendations B Committee Members and Consultants 152 C Research Log 162 D Board and Committee Structure 164 E Admissions 173 F Institutional Functioning Inventory 177 PREFACE In the aftermath of the cheating incident of 1976, the Chief of Staff of the Army felt the need for a broad, searching examination of the entire U.S. Military Academy and saw in the climate of healthy self-examination the opportunity to make such changes as might be found necessary. Thus, in early January, he directed the formation of the West Point Study Group and charged it to study, not simply those aspects pertaining to Honor, as in the case of the Borman Commission, but with a thorough review of all aspects of the Academy. The Study Group drew its members and consultants from the active Army, Department of Army civilians, Federal Service employees and leaders of the academic and business community. Military members represented a spectrum of military branches, experience, educational disciplines and varied service at the Academy. Some had no previous relationship with West Point. Consultant recommendations were solicited from many sources: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institute of Education, the Middle States Association of Schools Colleges, the Department of Defense including all three services, the Library of Congress and other appropriate civilian organizations. A detailed list of committee members appears at Appendix B. The Study Group operated under the general auspices of the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and consisted of three committees-Academic, Environment and Military Professional Development--each under the guidance of a general officer. Over the next 7 months, the members of the Committee probed relevant aspects of the Academy employing a variety of techniques. To develop a database, the Study Group conducted numerous interviews, made many visits, administered questionnaires and studied a wide field of available literature. The Group consulted with members of the Army staff, the Superintendent, Dean and Commandant of the Academy and over 300 members of the Academy staff and faculty, as well as the superintendents, deans, commandants and faculty of the other U.S. service academies and the Canadian, British, German and French academies. The Group also interviewed nearly 600 cadets and several cadets and midshipmen from the Air Force and Naval academies. Over 40 general officers, active and retired, were contacted to determine what those who had achieved professional success might suggest to improve the Academy and its graduates. Still other interviews included leaders of the academic community. The Study Group made fact-finding visits to numerous locations including all U.S. and five foreign service academies. The Group also visited 16 private or state colleges or universities. Visits to active Army educational institutions included the US Army War College, the Command and General Staff College, and seven Training and Doctrine Command Schools. Study Group members visited nine Army divisions. Questionnaires were administered to nearly a thousand newly-commissioned lieutenants and over 700 of their commanders and subordinates. Questionnaire responses from Academy personnel included over 1600 cadets and nearly 400 staff and faculty. The Study Group also elicited letter responses from current corps and division commanders, major command chiefs of staff, commandants of combat and combat support arm schools and separate brigade and regimental commanders. Research efforts embraced a wide variety of material to include accreditation reports of both the United States Military and Naval Academies. The Group reviewed previous studies of the various academies such as the reports of the Folsom Committee, the Kappel Board, the White Committee and the General Accounting Office. Equally useful were the annual class questionnaires and surveys of graduates. The Group also studied a number of commercially published works. The Study Group defined objectives and measures of success, generated discussion, evaluated alternatives and recommended actions and topics for further study. Military Academy personnel participated and assisted the work in many ways, as did many other Department of Army organizations. The Study Group particularly appreciates the willing help and advice received from individuals throughout the country. Former military men were generous in their aid. Busy educators enthusiastically provided invaluable help and perspective. The affection and concern for the Military Academy throughout the country have been inspiring to all who have participated. iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND CONCEPT A. Introduction Responding to guidance from the Chief of Staff of the Army, the West Point Study Group examined the United States Military Academy and found it basically a sound institution. This report summarizes the ways in which the Group believes this institution can be made even better, The Electrical Engineering 304 cheating incident in the Spring of 1976, the Report of the Special Commission on the U.S. Military Academy (the Borman Report) in December 1976, and our review indicate that the Academy has fallen victim to a number of problems which in complex and subtle ways have compounded. The Study Group believes that these problems can be solved by prompt and vigorous action to carry out the recommendations of the Borman Commission, West Point Special Actions Group, and this report. The following report is inevitably problem oriented. It makes no attempt to chronicle the many excellent aspects of West Point, and there are aspects of every part of the Academy which inspire admiration. The problems assume a variety of specific forms, but certain generalizations are possible. First, the Study Group notes a slackening of the pursuit of excellence. It appears everywhere in cadet life but is most troubling in the academic program. Many cadets, of course, vigorously work for academic achievement. A significant number, however, do not. Some even attempt to discourage other cadets from seeking academic distinction, using methods which range from casual disparaging remarks to conscious manipulation of peer evaluations. There are similar denigrations of military training, athletic prowess and of adherence to the highest ethical and professional values. One must assert correctly that such attitudes are abundant in every undergraduate institution. We believe, however, that the National Military Academy bears a special responsibility for excellence. Second, the Study Group observes a concomitant decline in the standards demanded of cadets by the Academy, perhaps in part because of concern for attrition. Marginal scholastic performances do not preclude graduation. Even the frequency of success on the playing fields has declined. There is a pervasive need to set and enforce standards in all aspects of the cadet experience. A third general problem identified by the Study Group is an apparent lack of accepted common objectives for the whole institution, an uncertainty of purpose which repeated recitation of the mission statement cannot disguise. There is a disturbing lack of comprehensive supervision and long-range planning. There are too frequent examples of unclear assignment of responsibility and authority. Senior officials seem overly occupied with minor administrative matters. The Superintendent's span of control is excessive, and the brevity of his tour conflicts with the need for continuity in that position. The Dean and the senior faculty--all tenured and steeped in knowledge of the Academy--are teamed with transient counterparts in the Department of Tactics. At the junior officer level, the faculty comes from the upper quartile academically, while the tactical officers are overwhelmingly from the lower half. There are doubts and conflicts about the role of tactical officers, the place of women in the Army, and priorities in the education and training of cadets--to name but three contentious issues. Cleavages exist between faculty and non-faculty, academic and military, senior and junior, tenured and non-tenured, male and female, officer and cadet. Rather than joining in pursuit of a common goal, the various elements follow their separate aims, lacking in true communication, uninformed of each other's interests, each believing his own programs should be afforded first priority, often competing for cadet time. Not surprisingly, cadets frequently find themselves whipsawed among conflicting requirements that show little toleration for other demands. Multiple tasks rigidly scheduled so fragment each day that cadets seldom enjoy the satisfaction of concentration on a single activity, whether academic, military, athletic, or recreational. The large number of courses required for graduation and the few options for electives result in scattered academic attention and limited opportunity for study in depth. The need to improve management of cadet time is heightened by the existence of cadet chain of command duties (sometimes unnecessary or unimportant), the rigors of physical education and sports schedules, and a large number of attractive extracurricular, recreational, and cultural activities. The Study Group found that a relatively humorless atmosphere seems to prevail. True, West Point is a serious place engaged in a serious purpose. It has always been so but did not always lack the lightheartedness and zest that characterize most groups of young people who are presumably following a freely chosen path. A certain grimness marks many of the cadets, an outlook which may blind them to many of life's humorous aspects and rob them of much of the enjoyment of their four-year experience. Fourth, the Academy is not institutionally sensitive to evidence of the need for change nor is it organized to be decisive in making changes. Problems are identified falteringly and solved hesitantly. Most tradition-laden institutions change slowly, and this characteristic can and has been a strength. West Point must not scrap fundamental principles and mimic every fad. Indeed West Point has avoided much of the trauma and turmoil experienced by other institutions of higher education and 2 has retained features to which the best colleges are now returning. For this we compliment the Academy. But a healthy institution also confidently identifies its own weaknesses and aggressively moves to correct them. The Study Group sees a number of areas at the Academy which call for such attention. There should be a review of all pedagogy in both the educational and training programs; poor courses should be improved or eliminated; a major effort to improve cadet writing should begin; quality standards for graduation should be established. Measures should be taken to reverse the intellectual inbreeding of the faculty and staff and to increase their participation in the educational mainstream of the county. The pervasive negative effects of the General Order of Merit, the Leadership Evaluation System, and the Disciplinary System should be recognized and curbed. The contemporary leadership style of the Army at large should replace the autocratic style which too often is seen at the Academy and which impairs the effectiveness of young graduates in their initial tours. Admission standards, especially the demanding physical fitness requirements for women, should be reviewed. The Academy should address the problems of the intercollegiate athletic program: the need for clear direction, for support from all quarters, for improved facilities. Finally, the Study Group wishes to reaffirm the importance of the Honor Code to the central purpose of the Academy and to stress the need for all aspects of Academy life to be organized and conducted to support the Honor Code and the highest ideals of the military profession. Recent reforms in the Honor System seem efficacious but should be reevaluated in the near future. What should never be forgotten is that honor taken for granted is honor lost. The Electrical Engineering 30 episode underscores that hard lesson. The development of personal and professional integrity is a process of continuing education and renewal for all cadets and all officers. The Academy should be a wellspring of this process for the Army. The Study Group concludes this introduction by offering as our first recommendation the adoption of the following Concept of the U.S. Military Academy. This statement is the Study Group's effort to explain what the Academy should do to accomplish its mission and to remedy the lack of accepted common objectives. Chapter II contains the specific recommendations judged necessary by the Study Group to solve the current problems of the Academy. Chapters III - IX present the findings which emerged from the Study Group's investigations, along with detailed explanations of the resulting recommendations, The Study Group submits its report with confidence in the fundamental strength of the Academy and with a desire to ensure its full health and vitality. B. Concept for the U.S. Military Academy (proposed for adoption and written in a tense appropriate for that purpose). 3 The mission of the United States Military Academy is to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate shall have the character, leadership, intellectual foundation and other attributes essential to progressive and continuing development through a career of exemplary service to the nation as an officer of the regular Army. The educational and training programs of the Military Academy should inspire cadets to-dedicate themselves to careers of self less service to the country as professional military officers. This goal requires cadets to adopt without reservation the ideals inherent in the motto Duty, Honor, and Country. All aspects of the Academy must support and reinforce this objective. In accomplishing its mission, West Point leads young men and women through the transition from civilian to officer. The time for each phase of this transition--from civilian to cadet and from cadet to officer--resists precise definition and varies among individuals. Thus, each stage raises questions about cadet progress. Such questions might address the time at which cadets develop a mature concept of honor or duty and when they are prepared for the responsibilities of leadership. These issues prompt continuing debate and constant efforts to improve the five integrated programs that coalesce to form the West Point environment: Academic, Character Development, Military Professional, Athletic, and Extracurricular Activities. 1. Academic Program. The Academic program constitutes a fundamental building block of the four-year experience. It provides the intellectual bases for future education and training, both academic and professional; for the formulation of a personal ethic for the development of character and for effective decision making. During the academic year, this program has the highest priority. The academic program provides high quality education in a challenging military environment, preparing cadets mentally for the rigors of a career of service? in peace or war. The program lays a foundation for developing the judgment and ethics re4uired of professional Army officers. It develops an appreciation of society and the role of the military in it; it fosters an interest in world issues. The learning process enhances the ability to sort information and develop associations among the variety of ideas and facts and then to apply these to defining and solving problems, both practical and theoretical. Equally important objectives are: developing self confidence; learning to allocate time and resources judiciously; learning to make reasoned judgments; and learning to write and speak with clarity and precision. 4 A desire for academic excellence is a central theme of the academic program. High achievement reinforces intellectual interests, develops habits of continuous self-criticism and improvement and permits a full realization of potential. Although specialization in the accepted sense is not a primary goal of the academic program, cadets receive exposure to the basic intellectual disciplines that would support post-baccalaureate education and later specialization. Cadets are introduced to the theoretical and applied sciences and engineering, the social and behavioral sciences, language, and the humanities. This required grouping of courses is designed to establish a foundation in the mathematical and experimental methods of the physical sciences and their application to science and engineering; an understanding of the concepts, methods of analysis, historical and quantitative techniques of the social sciences; an appreciation of the important scholarly, literary, ethical, cultural, religious, and other institutional foundations of society; and an understanding of human behavior. Building upon this general education, cadets select concentrations in at least one field or discipline to develop the confidence that comes from fuller knowledge and to satisfy their intellectual curiosity. Unifying themes in the disciplines are sought so that cadets may experience the power and recognize the consequences of the integration of learning. The academic program emphasizes understanding and use of general principles rather than the memorizing of detailed techniques of solution. Cadets must be capable of stating a problem, selecting an appropriate approach to solving it, producing a solution, and interpreting it to others. Cadets must have time to reflect, to synthesize, and to gain the confidence that comes from true understanding. This requirement means that adequate time for study, free from distraction, must be available during the academic year. Administrative procedures must be closely and continuously monitored to detect those encroaching on cadet study time. Learning constitutes the most important undertaking of the academic year. Cadets must sense staff and faculty interest in them and dedication to their development, but simultaneously they must recognize their personal responsibility to meet prescribed standards. A reasonable choice of electives and a constant awareness of the relevance of the material studied to future work at the Academy and to a career in the Army will enhance motivation for study. Broad and general in nature, the academic program meshes with a calling, the demands of which are equally broad. 5 2. Character Development Program. The character development program assists cadets in constructing a personal moral code that will sustain them through a career of Army service. This program has its theoretical roots in the academic program. Academic preparation in the philosophical development of moral precepts builds a framework for the reasoned development of moral percepts. Ethical implications of each discipline require constant emphasis. Additionally, voluntary religious activities enhance spiritual development and heighten awareness of moral issues. Furthermore, each member of the staff and faculty should act as a model for cadets by demonstrating personal responsibility and integrity of the highest order. The cadet Honor Code and System challenge the cadets and furnish the opportunity for introspection and moral growth at West Point and during their whole military career. The Honor Code forms the cornerstone of the ethical structure of cadet life. Although the Honor Code is not a comprehensive prescription for ethical behavior, it contains a set of irreducible standards common to all honorable people--refusal to lie, cheat, or steal. Additionally the Honor Code includes the tenet of self-enforcement. The Honor System applies the Honor Code to cadet life, demanding that the daily the precepts of the Code. A high standard of personal honor remains a basic expectation of men and women in the profession of arms. As novice officers, cadets must quickly recognize that moral rectitude is a prerequisite for those entrusted with the guardianship of a self-governing society. Cadets should be nothing less than completely honest in dealings with subordinates and superiors who depend daily on the correctness of their actions. Newton Baker has reminded all that "the inexact or untruthful soldier trifles with the lives of his fellow men and with the honor of his government." The Honor Code and System should provide cadets a basis for continuing ethical development both as cadets and as officers. 3. Military Professional Development Program. The Military Professional Development program makes West Point unique. Throughout the four-year experience, the cadet gains an intellectual appreciation of the profession of arms available elsewhere. During the four-year program, the cadets receive an appropriate balance of theory and practice in the school of the soldier. This balance appropriately reflects the total purpose of the Academy. Three objectives guide the military professional development program. The first aim is to have cadets understand classical and contemporary concepts of warfare. Second, cadets must develop individual military skills and be able to apply them in leadership situations and responsible staff and technical assignments. Finally, cadets study the techniques of command and gain an appreciation of the principles of leadership. During the academic year, the Military Professional Development program gives the cadet unique intellectual depth in the military profession through courses in Military Systems, 6 Modern Warfare, Decisionmaking, Battlefield Simulation and the like. This instruction complements the more traditional courses in Psychology, Leadership, Military Law, Military Art (History), and related electives. During the summer training period, cadets learn to apply military skills in extended leadership laboratories in a variety of settings. These exercises challenge cadets in such diverse areas as supervising and training subordinate cadets, holding positions with the U.S. Army in the field, and participating in special activities. The sum of these summer experiences combines with the classroom contributions to produce graduates well prepared to enter post-graduate military training and subsequently to assume the duties and responsibilities of a commissioned officer. 4. Athletic Program. The fourth element of the West Point experience is the athletic program. This program reinforces the other three by providing the opportunity for personal growth in a physically vigorous, competitive environment. In addition, it provides recreational release from a crowded, demanding daily schedule, while emphasizing the development of the individual strength and endurance required in the field Army. The program gives a strenuous introduction to individual combative skills and stresses the importance of maintaining high levels of physical fitness. The advanced program teaches sports which cadets can pursue in later years and encourages them to excel in at least one. While focusing on individual development, the program also provides a foundation for structuring physical fitness programs for Army units. Intramural and intercollegiate athletics further reinforce the pursuit of excellence that is fundamental to all aspects of the Academy. But they also develop teamwork and leadership skills. Vigorous competition occurs, but athletic victory is never an end in itself. Intramural competition should be sufficiently intense to generate interest but not to the degree that cadets impair their studies. The intercollegiate and intramural programs, club sports, and the physical education program must be integrated to emphasize the continuing professional and character development of the cadet. 5. Extracurricular Activities. Extracurricular activities represent the final dimension of the West Point experience. Extracurricular activities encompass religious activities, recreational sports clubs, community programs, cultural activities, military skill programs, and academic clubs. These programs emphasize the development of the cadet's intellectual, physical, and professional skills in an environment conducive to personal growth, and simple enjoyment. Recreational sports clubs emphasize life-long activities such as sailing and skiing. Community assistance programs, such as scouting or youth team coaching, 7 reinforce a commitment to service. Programs related to military Skills such as orienteering contribute to professional development. Cultural activities permit cadets to expand their awareness of art, music, and the theater and to experience personal achievement in these areas. Finally the academic extracurricular programs provide for expanded interaction with other cadets outside the classroom and for the exchange of ideas with students at other universities. The entire extracurricular program expands the range of cadet contacts and opens the Academy to a wide range of attitudes, ideas, and pastimes. Thus the major Academy programs foster continuing intellectual, character, and professional development. They do so in an environment that emphasizes sub ordination of self to the interests of the Nation. The Academy seeks to develop an inquiring, enlightened military leader. These words summarize what the Academy must do to fulfill its mission. 8 CHAPTER II RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations fall into three categories: one contains recommendations without qualification and two are conditional. The two conditional groups are "Experiment with," indicating a recommendation for trial with a small group of students for a limited time and "Consider," pertaining to areas where a problem clearly exists but supporting data are insufficient to permit a firm recommendation. For purposes of clarity, the underlining has been continued in the text of the recommendations. Page numbers in parentheses indicate location of discussion in the body of the report. This format has been adopted to facilitate use by the Academy in identifying recommendations of the Study Group. Internal Governance 1. Ensure that the Superintendent serves in office a term of four to eight years and that he has demonstrated competence as an academic. A longer term will provide stability and continuity of policy and contribute to academic excellence. (p. 39) 2. Change the function of the Academic Board from implementing policy to providing policy advice on academic matters to the Superintendent, except in discharging duties prescribed by statute. Include Director of the Office of Physical Education, the Director of the Office of Military Instruction, and the Head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. (pp. 36-39, 40) 3. Establish an Academy Policy Board with the mission of providing advice to the Superintendent on all policy matters having general significance for the Academy. (pp. 39-41) 4. Alter the structure of boards and committees as shown on page 53 to reflect the missions of the Academic Board and the Policy Board. Delegate to responsible officials and committees policy implementation authority insofar as practicable. (pp. 39-41) 5. Reduce the personal involvement of heads of academic departments in governance activities, particularly by curtailing their participation on boards and committees. This measure will permit them to concentrate their efforts on their departments, their teaching, and their disciplines--in short, on academic excellence. When a head of department is elected to serve on the Policy Board, consider replacing him on the Academic Board with another tenured faculty member of his department. (pp. 38, 78) 9 6. Increase participation by other tenured and non-tenured staff and faculty in the governance of the Academy. This action will lead to a wider range of talent and viewpoints in governance and to a deeper commitment to the vitality of the institution on the part of those groups. (p. 38) 7. Strengthen the roles of the Superintendent, the Dean, and the Commandant in the governance structure. Certain committees should report directly to the Dean and the Commandant rather than to boards or other committees. Executive functions formerly performed by committees should be done by the Dean and the Commandant within policy guidelines set forth by the Superintendent on advice of the various boards. (pp. 43-45) 8. Establish the Office of Policy, Plans and Analysis with responsibility for institutional research to include data collection and analysis; long-range planning; assisting the Superintendent in setting the agendas of the Policy and Academic Boards, the Board of Visitors, and the USMA Advisory Committee; and coordinating the scheduling of all significant activities at the Academy. The Director should be a colonel whose tour should be 4-5 years and who will also serve as Secretary of the Policy Board. (pp. 41-43) 9. Develop a data bank and a research and evaluation program on possible and probable candidates, appointees, cadets and graduates. This information will permit measurement of attitudes and performance at selected benchmarks. (p. 42) 10. Establish a Faculty Council consisting of all tenured faculty and staff members, and two non-tenured faculty members from each academic department representing their non-tenured colleagues. The Dean should serve as its chairman; the Council should meet with the Superintendent in order to facilitate communications between the Superintendent and the faculty. (p. 43) 11. Expand the membership and tenure of the Superintendent's Honor Review Committee. The Committee reports to the Superintendent but should also transmit its reports to the Policy Board for consideration and comment. (p. 43) 12. Establish a Committee on Professional Development and a Committee on Cadet Life as standing committees of the Policy Board to ensure continuing review of all aspects of the educational training and extracurricular programs of the Academy. (p. 165) 13. Establish temporarily the position of Deputy Superintendent, a fourth general officer position. During the early years following this report it is expected that the Superintendent, Dean and Commandant will be devoting much of their attention and energies to the careful examination of the Academy's programs. The addition of a 10 Deputy Superintendent during that period will allow the Superintendent to focus his efforts on those areas requiring his personal attention and reduce his personal span of control within the governance structure. (pp. 48-50) 14. Reorganize the Academy's staff structure in accordance with existing Army regulations thereby reducing the Superintendent's span of control. Establish an Office of the Deputy Post Commander and organize a directorate staff to assist him in carrying out his responsibilities. (pp. 48-52) 15. Establish the Director of Automation and Training Support as single manager for all Academy automation and instructional technology resources and procurement actions to improve the interface with Department of the Army Staff in those areas and to facilitate improvements. (p. 43,51) 16. Establish both an Academy Computer Advisory Committee and an Automatic Data Processing (ADP) User's Group. Also, formalize an ADP Master Plan to include evaluation and provision of necessary support to the USMA Preparatory School. (pp. 43-44) 17. Expand the computerized Cadet Information System and improve computer support to cadets and administrators. 18. Restructure the existing Department of Tactics redesignating it as the Office of the Commandant. Redesignate the Office of Physical Education and the Office of Military Instruction as the Department of Physical Education and the Department of Military Instruction. (p. 51) 19. Establish the Department of Military Development (within the Office of the Commandant) under the new position of Brigade Tactical Officer to reduce the Commandant's span of control. (p. 51) 20. Redesignate the Office of Military Psychology and Leadership as the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, an academic department under the supervision of the Dean. Transfer such staff service functions as personal counseling, Cadet Troop Leader Training, and Leadership Evaluation System to other departments of the Office of the Commandant. (pp. 40, 51-52) 21. Establish the Office of the Director of Cadet Activities with responsibility for the existing Cadet Activities Office and selected Cadet Treasurer functions now under the control of the Superintendent's Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics. The Director should have tenure and, in the near term, report to the Deputy Superintendent. (p. 51) 11 Admissions (pp. 44-45, 173-176) 22. Undertake a more aggressive recruitment program. a. Improve the information provided to members of Congress. b. Develop a program for early acceptance of outstanding applicants. 23. Change admissions procedures to limit the cases decided by the Academic Board to those which are major deviations from admissions policy. 24. Restrict athlete recruitment to candidates with demonstrated ability or potential for outstanding contribution in a sport, along with ability to perform satisfactorily in the academic and military training programs. 25. Permit class quotas to remain unfilled should insufficient numbers of fully qualified applicants be found in the candidate pool. 26. Change the title of the Director of Admissions and Registrar to the Director for Admissions. External Governance 27. Establish the USMA Advisory Committee to meet two to four times each year to advise and assist the Superintendent. Members should be nominated by the Superintendent, approved by the Chief of Staff and appointed by the Secretary of the Army. Consecutive appointments not to exceed six years should be managed so that not more than one-third expire each two years. A chairman and about 12 members should be selected all of whom have distinguished civilian or military backgrounds. There should be no ex-officio members. Provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App 1) apply. The panel should have a Secretariat stationed at West Point. The committee should advise the Superintendent at least annually and reports should be forwarded to the Chief of Staff, the Secretary of the Army, and the Board of Visitors. (pp. 46-48) 28. Establish ad hoc Visiting Committees under the aegis of the Advisory Committee to assess department and other agencies. (p. 47) 12 Shaping Cadet Academic Attitudes 29. Reduce graduation requirements to approximately 40 academic courses. (pp. 65, 66-68, 71-75) 30. Restructure the curriculum to allow sufficient specialization to take advantage of individual cadet interests and aptitudes. (pp. 70, 73) 31. Eliminate all orders of merit which establish relative ranking of cadets from first to last. (pp. 65, 90) 32. Eliminate the normative grading system for physical fitness tests and physical education; establish minimum standards. (pp. 63-64, see also Item 126) 33. Improve the interdepartmental coordination of scheduling for examinations and papers. (p. 65) 34. Ensure involvement of the Superintendent, Dean, Commandant and other senior members of the staff and faculty in academic activities such as counseling, faculty seminars, cadet seminars, lectures or classes in order to maintain contact with and demonstrate interest in scholastic pursuits. (pp. 77-79) 35. Consider initiating a faculty/tactical officer interchange with some officers serving two years as instructors and two as tactical officers. (See also Tactical Department, Item 115). (pp. 81-82, 98-100) 36. Include in the orientation of new staff and faculty information on the importance of mutual support among all components of USMA stressing the harmonious relationship required to achieve the common goal. (See Tactical Department, Item 113). (pp. 81-82, 98-100) 37. Restructure the Leadership Evaluation System to eliminate peer ratings and their potential to encourage undesirable behaviors. (See also the Corps of Cadets, Item 131). (pp. 64, 111-113) 38. Reorganize the cadet chain of command and other military duties to eliminate unnecessary administrative details and inefficiencies which interfere with study activities. (See also the Corps of Cadets, Item 130). (p. 111) 39. Administer on a periodic basis the Institutional Functioning Inventory of the Educational Testing Service to provide the Academy's leadership information on attitudinal trends. (pp. 66-67, 177-181) 13 Academic Curriculum 40. Improve the quality of instruction, and enforce uniformly high standards of student performance. (pp. 80-82, 89) 41. Draft objectives for each department indicating the learning outcomes pertinent to core curriculum course offerings. Integrate all the various aspects of the cadets' educational experience. (p. 67) 42. Review academic departmental structures, disestablishing and combining where appropriate. (pp. 71-72) 43. Reduce the overall academic program to approximately 40 courses to diminish fragmentation of cadet time and effort. (pp. 64, 67-74) 44. Restructure the time allocated to academic pursuits. Ensure that scheduling fewer courses allows greater time for individual study, approximately double the time spent in the classroom. (p. 90) 45. Establish a care curriculum required for all cadets at not more than three-fourths of the total program. Ensure that each cadet is given a broad general education. (pp. 71-76) 46. Retain a strong, though somewhat reduced, math/science/ engineering component in the care structure so that cadets learn the experimental and analytical techniques of the basic sciences. This sequence should provide integrated and progressively more advanced courses leading through electronics and engineering science into engineering analysis and synthesis, with emphasis on concepts in the basic and engineering sciences and emphasis on decision making in engineering. (pp. 71-72) 47. Allocate sufficient courses from the core to ensure thorough exposure to theoretical and conceptual problems that have no set solutions, such as are found in the behavioral sciences and social sciences. Material in systems engineering and related areas of the applied sciences should also stress problems for which there is no single solution and which include consideration of social values and consequences. (p. 69) 48. Provide a strong preprofessional sequence of social sciences, behavioral sciences, history, and public affairs to develop each cadet's awareness of the people, government and society which he will serve. This should include courses such as modern and military history, economics, law, political science, international relations, and cultural/political geography, basic and social psychology, and organizational development. (pp . 71-ú73) 14 49. Ensure that the physical and applied sciences, economics, and behavioral science courses and sequences coordinate closely with the mathematics courses to require use of mathematical skills as soon as possible after they are acquired by the students. (pp. 84-85) 50. Emphasize analysis, critical evaluation, and the handling of masses of data in applied sciences and engineering courses, diminishing wherever possible the descriptive approach. (p. 68) 51. Reinforce current programs aimed at producing competence in written and oral communication skills by establishing a more intensive, coordinated interdepartmental effort running through the entire four-year curriculum. (pp. 71-72) 52. Maintain a four-semester foreign language program for all cadets. Give consideration to making its placement flexible within the eight available semesters so that cadets can receive this instruction at a time most mutually advantageous to the institution and individuals. (pp. 72-73) 53. Eliminate the core course in graphics and mechanical drawing. (p. 72) 54. Include instruction in computer use and management in cadet Automatic Data Processing courses. 55. Avoid establishing a full disciplinary "majors" program, which would require too many elective sequences in a variety of areas to support the objectives of a broad, general education. Interdisciplinary areas of concentration ensure a desired degree of specialization without the high costs involved in accredited majors. (pp. 61,70) 56. Construct comprehensive elective programs from which each cadet is required, with the guidance of a qualified faculty advisor, to select an area of concentration according to his talents, abilities, and interests. Require him to structure a sequence of courses reaching a fourth year college standard in the selected area to develop the confidence that comes from fuller comprehension and to satisfy intellectual curiosity. (pp. 71, 73-75) 57. Discourage dilettantism in elective selections by deleting a general studies track as an option. The smorgasbord approach in such a track is contrary to the stated goals of concentration. (pp. 70-73) 58. Offer elective sequences in systems engineering and operations analysis building upon realistic problems and examples from Army life. These sequences might include courses in the methodology of 15 systems engineering followed by practical situations analysis, methodological and analytical tools for problem solving, concepts modeling, applications to small and large military unit actions, campaign analysis and gaming, and, at the highest level, political military interactions. (pp. 75-76) 59. Carefully review and reduce the variety of elective courses offered and emphasize quality in the remaining offerings. (pp. 69-71) 60. Initiate elective study for most, if not all, cadets not later than the second semester of Third Class (sophomore) year to permit more thorough study of at least one elective area (note the possibility of a five-semester sequence) and to provide intellectual stimulation through emphasis on personal interests and abilities. (p. 75) 61. Ease pressure on the entering Fourth Class cadets by reducing the heavy current loading of mathematics and substituting a program more balanced among the four principal disciplinary areas. (pp. 69-70) Ethics and Professionalism Curriculum. 62. Establish a comprehensive and progressive program in ethics and professionalism to prepare cadets for the ethical, personal, and other leadership problems that confront commissioned officers. This program should include courses in introductory and social psychology, organizational behavior and development, leadership, philosophy, introductory and military law, and American institutions and should extend into other appropriate courses. (p. 73) 63. Institute a course in philosophy and ethics for Fourth Class or Third Class year. (p. 73) 64. Institute a course for Second Class or First Class year on American Institutions to address problems of the military profession and other institutions of American society. (p. 75) 65. For the staff and faculty conduct seminars and symposia on philosophy and ethics. See also 46 and 47 Curriculum. (p. 73) 66. Establish a committee or other mechanism with the task of integrating ethics and professionalism courses with the cadets' other training and experience so that they are mutually supportive. (p. 73) Library (pp. 76-77) 67. Consider reducing the issue of instructor reference materials to increase faculty use of library. (p. 77) 16 68. Establish a long-term loan policy for cadets to assist in reducing congestion in the library during peak-use periods. (p. 77) 69. Reduce use of duplicated extracts in an effort to promote more use of the library by both faculty and the cadets. (p. 77) 70. Coordinate timing of writing assignments to distribute demands on library. (p. 77) 71. Diversify writing and reading assignments to distribute demands on the collection. (p. 77) 72. Continue orientation programs for cadets and faculty. (p. 77) 73. Provide a position for the Librarian within the governance structure and include his counsel when planning courses. (p. 77) 74. Continue to appoint departmental representatives to the library. (p. 77) 75. Designate assistant librarians as department advisors to allow closer coordination between the department and main libraries. (p. 77) 76. Continue to solicit faculty input to the selection and purging programs to ensure the currency of the collection. (p. 77) 77. Develop a comprehensive long-range plan to incorporate the latest library technology to support the learning needs of the Academy in the future and to minimize the costs of future modernization and expansion. The Academy should review the work being done at Carnegie Mellon University in this area. (p. 77) Faculty 78. Establish a formal system for selection of tenured faculty which includes review of candidates by committees of the Academic Board, by the Administration, and by selected outside advisors chosen as appropriate from the Advisory Committee, ad hoc visiting committees or other sources. (p. 78) 79. Consider rotation of department heads after five-year terms and increase the number of tenured faculty to allow reasonable rotation. Current department heads need not be affected unless they so desire. (pp. 79-80) 17 80. Encourage professors with administrative duties to teach each semester a minimum of one course, the nature of which varies from year to year and which frequently is a core course. Expect course directors as a matter of routine to teach the courses they direct. (p. 78) 81. Consider assigning a permanent associate professor as one of the regimental tactical officers (typically for a term of 1-2 years). (p. 84) 82. Consider allowing selected permanent associate professors to extend their tenure beyond 30 years. 83. Make the academic rank of full professor attainable by permanent associate professors (those with tenure to 30 years service). (p. 79) 84. Increase the continuity, maturity, experience, diversity, and overall quality of the faculty. a. Encourage the faculty's scholarly research and professional activities. (p. 78) b. Increase the number of instructors teaching a fourth year. (p. 80) c. Return more former instructors for second or third tours. (p. 80) d. Consider granting a limited number of outstanding instructors a new class of tenure guaranteeing retention at the Academy until completion of their twentieth year of service. (p. 80) e. Secure instructors from such sources as the Foreign Area Officer Program, career civilians, and Material Development and Readiness Command officer project managers and laboratory supervisors. Develop programs for repetitive tours of such officers. (p. 80) f. Develop a faculty exchange program with civilian institutions. g. Increase the number of visiting professors to achieve civilian representation on the faculty of about 5 percent. Use this program as a source for the early addition of women to the faculty. Consider placing two or three visiting professors in departments such as English, history, and chemistry rather than one in each. Authorize grade levels commensurate with their civilian positions. (p. 81) 18 h. Increase the proportion of non-Academy graduates on the staff and faculty to 50 percent or more. (p. 82) i. Ensure instructors in each department attend a variety of high-quality graduate schools and receive formal training for the subjects they are to teach. Consider extending selected officers in graduate school for a third year. Allow officers on direct assignment to the faculty to attend refresher graduate schooling. (pp. 80-81) 85. Ensure that an Academy teaching tour is and is viewed as being career enhancing. (Requires combination of actions on part of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, and Military Personnel Center). Possible actions include providing facts of school and promotion selection to assignment officers, to individuals at the Academy and to the officer corps; integration of Academy assignments with career specialties, careful management of the timing of assignments to West Point and subsequently, improving each department's management of opportunities for career development and instruction to individuals and boards involved in personnel actions. (p. 82) 86. Create in departments an environment of free communication between the senior and junior faculty. (p. 82) Pedagogy 87. Employ a variety of learning strategies. a. Continue to emphasize instruction in small sections, but take greater advantage of them by stabilizing the academic section and the instructor. (pp. 86-87) b. Continue to deemphasize standardization of pedagogical techniques in favor of greater instructor flexibility. (p. 81) c. Increase the use of lectures where special instructor knowledge is needed. (p. 86) d. Experiment with and improve the use of computer assisted instruction. Enter computer networks to make use of software developed by others. Exploit modeling techniques, Monte Carlo simulation, computer graphics, and engineering design programs. (p. 88) e. Improve the use of visual aids including educational television, computer graphics, models, mock-ups, and demonstration laboratories. The blackboard should be used creatively and dynamically so that a problem develops before the cadets. It should not simply serve as a static display. (p. 87) 19 f. Consider experiments with individualized instruction using combinations of lectures and seminars in conjunction with a self-paced program requiring mastery at the "A" or "B" grade level before advancing. (p. 88) 88. Continue to improve instructor qualifications by guiding their graduate study and by training instructors in teaching techniques with emphasis on the small section and seminar technique. (pp. 86-87) 89. Improve the ability of cadets to participate in small sections. a. Teach a logic subcourse, early in the curriculum, for example, in Fourth Class math or English. (p. 87) b. Assign different supplementary readings from the library to different cadets in a section when appropriate. (p. 87) 90. Improve the motivation for cadets to study. a. Ensure that cadets understand the interrelationships of sequential courses and the interrelationships among disciplines. Establish prerequisites as appropriate. Hold cadets accountable for previous learning. (pp. 84-85) b. Consider the interdepartmental use of readings which are applicable to two or more departments or disciplines. c. Ensure that faculty and staff understand the rationale of the curriculum. Whenever possible relate course work to Army experience. (pp. 84-85) d. Review the required readings to select significant ones which can be assigned in their entirety. (p. 86) e. Show a greater willingness to fail marginal performers. This will only happen if the consequences of failure can be made less drastic by improved makeup systems and alternate commissioning options for failing cadets who have leadership ability. (p. 88) 91. Improve laboratories. a. Review the laboratory program to require practical work in fewer disciplines while raising the quality of the work done. Computer assisted and project laboratories of up to four hours in length should be considered. (p. 86) 20 b. Reduce the time and resources used in two hour laboratories by a greater use of in-class demonstration laboratories. (p. 86) 92. Improve the ability of the cadets to write and to use mathematics. Establish interdepartmental committees, reporting to the Dean, to coordinate instruction in and use of these skills throughout the curriculum. (pp. 83-84) 93. Improve retention of basic course principles. a. Reduce the frequency of evaluation giving greater flexibility to the instructor but increasing the relative weight of Written Partial Reviews and Term End Examinations. (p. 95) b. Resection infrequently. c. In addition to in-class problems, require homework problems of increased depth. (p. 86) 94. Provide an improved program for academically marginal cadets, giving consideration to alternate tracking and temporarily reduced course loads. (p. 88) 95. Establish a high quality book store in order to stimulate interest in outside reading. 96. Consider providing flexibility in the foreign language sequences for some cadets by establishing optional shorter but more intense language courses. Academic Administration 97. Revise the academic calendar and daily schedule. a. Consider establishing two terms with approximately equal numbers of attendances. The first term should end in December. (p. 89) b. Establish standard length for all class periods (50 to 60 minutes). Schedule the academic day in one-hour blocks, using multi-hour periods for problem sessions and laboratories. (p. 89) c. Consider staggering attendance at noon meal. (p. 89) d. Consider expanding scheduled day somewhat beyond 1515 hours. (p. 89) e. Consider reducing time required for meals and associated formations. (p. 89) 21 98. Improve incentives. a. Eliminate 3.0 grading system. (p. 89) b. Use a letter grade system. (p. 89) c. Continue other features of USMA Initiative #1, except as it allows 3.0 grading system. (p. 89) d. Use a Quality Point Average to identify cadets who are to receive honors (Distinguished Cadets, Dean's List). Normally compute Quality Point Average at term end, except for plebes and cadets in academic difficulty. For these, a mid-term computation may be appropriate. (p. 90) e. Consider establishing a probationary system to motivate marginal performers (see graduation requirements). (p. 91) f. Continue the policy of assigning graduates to initial tour with troops in their basic specialty; postpone graduate schooling, except for certain scholarship winners. (pp. 90-91) 99. Provide alternative service obligation for separated cadets by one or more of the following: (pp. 91-92) a. Revoke DOD Directive 1332.23 (cadets separated after the start: of Second Class year normally will be called to active duty in an enlisted status for at least two years). OR b. Modify DOD Directive 1332.23 so that ex-cadets separated after the start of Second Class year may enroll in any pre-commissioning program within nine months of separation. Successful completion and acceptance of commission will cancel any requirement to serve in an enlisted status. OR c. Modify DOD Directive 1332.23 to require cadets separated after the Start of Second Class year as a result of circumstances indicating an intent to evade obligations incurred as a result of attendance at the Academy to repay those costs directly attributable to the education and training received. 100. Improve counseling services. a. Develop a comprehensive plan for a decentralized counseling program. (p. 93) 22 b. Develop a formal program that would establish a mentor relationship between officers and cadets on the basis of one officer to 6 to 8 cadets. All faculty members and staff should participate in this program. (p. 93) c. Develop an improved visual display of course interrelationships for academic counseling. (p. 93) d. Initiate efforts to administer interest or attitudinal to successful officers, both early and late in their careers, the information thus derived to assist in matters as branch choice. (p. 93) 101. Change graduation requirements. a. Establish requirements for the successful completion of an approved program of a set number of courses through study in residence and the achievement of a set minimum Quality Point Average. (p. 93) b. Determine specific requirements after further study by the faculty. c. Permit turnback cadets to continue summer military training with their original class. (p. 93) d. Require turnback cadets to attend summer academic sessions in lieu of leave as necessary. (p . 93) e. Permit turnback cadets to enroll in all upper class courses for which they satisfy prerequisites, including Military Science and Physical Education. (p. 93) f. Permit turnback cadets to carry reduced academic loads. (p. 93) g. Graduate turnback cadets when they satisfy requirements for graduation (mid-year possible). (p. 93) Intercollegiate Athletics 102. Manifest institutional commitment to intercollegiate athletics by: a. Publishing a policy statement on athletics. (pp. 125-126) b. Setting goals for the intercollegiate athletic program. (p. 125) 23 c. Increasing appropriated fund support. (p. 129) d. Constructing, and maintaining outstanding athletic facilities, beginning with a winter athletic complex. (pp. 126-127) e. Increasing the frequency of key officials' attendance at practices, NCAA contests, and press functions. (p. 126) f. Ensuring continuing professional management of the intercollegiate athletic program. (pp. 128-129) g. Increasing alumni support and participation. (p. 127) 103. Reconstitute the Athletic Board as a standing athletic committee with the following tasks: a. To advise the Superintendent on matters of policy and facilities. (pp. 127-128) b. To provide for an integrated, coordinated and balanced athletic program. (pp. 127-128) 104. Establish new guidelines for the position of Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA). He should not be an active duty Army officer. He should be a West Point graduate, knowledgeable and experienced in athletics and business, and he should be hired on a long-term basis. Job performance, however, should be the overriding consideration. (pp. 128-129) Tactical Department (Office of the Commandant) 105. Augment the Office of the Commandant by the addition of a separate operations and plans section. (p. 107) 106. Increase the access of the tactical officer to cadets. Make clear that tactical officers should be free to counsel individuals for brief periods during study time. Ensure that there is a period during the week when a tactical officer can meet with his entire company or any part of it. (pp. 98-99) 107. Consider establishing offices for tactical officers in the company area to improve the access between tactical, staff and cadets. (pp. 99-105) 108. Consider forming Tactical Officer Teams wherein a tactical officer would have primary responsibility for one company but would also have collateral responsibility in one or more additional companies 24 This organization would increase the continuity and consistency of leadership and would assist in the proper orientation of newly assigned tactical officers. (p. 104) 109. Assign one Command Sergeant Major to each of the four cadet regiments to perform in the traditional noncommissioned officer role thereby furthering consistency and stability as well as improving cadets' ability to deal with soldiers on their initial assignment. 110. Assign one Tactical Noncommissioned Officer for each company to assist the tactical officers. 111. Consider eliminating (at least for some years) the Cadet Company Commander and clearly reaffirm the tactical officer as the commander. Continue to have a Cadet Captain in the company but designated as the "Company Captain." Change the title of Battalion and Regimental Commander to Battalion and Regimental Captain. These changes would clarify authority of the tactical officer and establish an effective barrier to the cadet chain of "administrivia." (pp. 98-S9, 110) 112. Institute a better selection process for tactical officers to ensure that the criteria include wide military experience and academic achievement as well as outstanding performance as an officer. Prospective tactical officers should be interviewed. (pp. 101-104) 113. Provide a better orientation for all newly arrived personnel. This program should be comprehensive to ensure it develops an understanding of the objectives of the Academy and the ways they are to be achieved. At a minimum the program should include: a. Mission, goals, environment, and cadet systems (i.e., Disciplinary System, Fourth Class System, Leadership Evaluation System, Ethics and the Honor Code and System, and Regulations). b. Leadership/academic development philosophy and program. c. Staff and faculty officer responsibilities for cadet leadership (academic development, enforcement of regulations, and maintenance of standards). d. Tactical Officer, academic faculty, and cadet relationships. e. Cadet motivation; attitudes toward issues of concern (e.g., women at the Academy and in the Army, EE 304 status). 25 f. Skills and methods needed to develop leadership and motivate cadets. g. Interpersonal skills; performance counseling skills; techniques of group problem solving. h. Familiarization with the reports and studies that have been significant in the Academy's evolution. i. Future Army battlefield systems, as part of understanding the goals for cadet development. j. The relationship between success as a cadet and success in the Army. 114. Ensure that all officers, particularly new instructors, are advised prior to attending graduate school that they will be expected to: (1) adhere to and enforce Academy standards of appearance and discipline; (2) contribute to a variety of additional activities, e.g., cadet sponsor, coaching, summer training program. (pp. 98-100) 115. Consider instituting a formal exchange program (2 years as Tactical Officer and 2 years as instructor). This program will assist in reducing conflict between academic and military demands on cadets, merge two role models in the eyes of the cadets, and reinforce the academic environment in cadet companies. (See also Shaping Cadet Academic Attitudes, Item 35). (pp. 98-100) The features of the program are: a. Officers with outstanding service records and outstanding academic credentials in various disciplines would be assigned either to the tactical staff or faculty. After two years, the tactical officers would become instructors, and the instructors would become tactical officers. b. The input should be about six per year so that the number in the program would be 12 tactical officers and 12 instructors. c. All academic departments should participate. d. Officers selected for this program need to be selected early in their career to manage career progression carefully. (Department of the Army has examined the concept and can manage the small number of officers involved through a proper career progression). 116. Revitalize the nature of the Company Academic Counselor Program or develop an Associate Tactical Officer Program whereby a faculty member as an associate tactical officer learns the duties of the 26 tactical officer and could assume them if needed. This program will assist in bridging the gap between the tactical officer and instructor and will improve cadet attitudes towards academic pursuits. (p. 97) 117. All tactical officers should be given some opportunity to instruct. This step should improve their relations with cadets and enhance their prestige. (p. 121) 118. Promulgate a central leadership principle to guide the basic approach used by all tactical officers and to help eliminate questionable leadership practices by officers and cadets who do not understand positive, supportive leadership. (p. 105) 119. Review all requirements placed upon tactical officers to determine whether they are essential or whether they can be done elsewhere. We strongly urge a thorough analysis to determine which requirements might be simplified by computer assistance. (p. 98) 120. Create a sense of participation for the tactical officers by ensuring their input into policy decisions and by creating a forum for tactical officers to talk with the Commandant and Superintendent about the health of the Corps. (pp. 99-100) 121. Consider according to a Senior officer in the Commandant's office status equivalent to "Permanent Assistant Professor" to assure the perpetuation of reforms, consistency in philosophy, and continuity of institutional memory. (p. 104) Military Instruction and Training 122. Improve significantly the academic content of Military Science taught during the academic year. The curricula and pedagogy changes would take advantage of the unique opportunity afforded West Point to provide intellectual depth in the study of the military profession. (p. 121) 123. Teach Military Science by teams and, depending on content, use Office of Military Instruction instructors assisted by a tactical officer or academic instructor, or both. The team approach will also assist in bridging the gap between military professional instruction and academic studies and will reinstitute the role of the tactical officer as instructor and teacher. (p. 121) 124. Improve the summer training programs by instituting the following actions: a. Introduce a "Drill Cadet" Program for the Second Class in which cadets work as a Drill Cadet in the Army Training Centers under the supervision of Army Drill Sergeants. This program 27 will assist in eliminating recognized weaknesses in cadets' "ability to talk with soldiers" and "concern for the welfare of men" by placing them in an environment where effective interpersonal communication and supportive leadership are required. (p. 121-122) b. Eliminate some cadet military skill training for Second Class cadets, particularly that high-cost training that has relatively narrow application to the active Army, e.g., helicopter training. If the ranger and airborne courses are eliminated from the cadet program, graduates should be allowed to attend them after graduation. (p. 121-122) c. Eliminate First Class participation at Camp Buckner to free the First Class for branch-oriented Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT). Some First Class cadets might be needed as instructors and would get a shorter CTLT, but the new Third Class should assume major responsibility for running their own organization at Camp Buckner. (p. 122) d. Establish and promulgate to the Active Army a clear set of policies and objectives for the conduct of CTLT programs to ensure that each cadet undergoes the desired experience. e. Ensure that a positive and supportive environment exists in cadet Basic Training (CBT). The physical training, demanding schedule, and general environment are important to the transition from civilian to cadet. (p. 122) 125. Develop regular communication with the Army Training and Doctrine Command in order to ensure current knowledge and advances in military training. Care should be taken, however, to avoid forced relevance to the Active Army at expense of greater intellectual depth in the profession of arms. Physical Education 126. Replace "curve" grading in physical education with criterion referenced grading. A minimum absolute standard with either Pass/Fail or successive absolute levels for higher grades would eliminate unnecessary competition that currently exists. (p. 123) 127. Re-evaluate the physical education standards for women. The Study Group believes that the physical stress on women is excessive and that the level of physical conditioning being demanded on them may not be justified by future service. (p. 123) 128. Continue the Academy's high quality physical education program, which we note is both well done and important to Army service. (pp. 123-124) 28 The Corps of Cadets 129. Stability. Adopt policies which lead to stability in the Corps. Do not rotate cadets among companies routinely. (pp. 110-111) 130. Cadet Rank and the Cadet Chain of Command. a. Prescribe a single chain of command each year (no rotation) designated on a merit basis. (p. 111) b. Eliminate chain of command positions and duties that are trivial in nature and are essentially a source of "make work." (p. 111) 131. Leadership Evaluation a. Eliminate the "peer type" ratings, but retain ratings by tactical officers and cadet officers. (pp. 111-112) b. Sever the relationship between Leadership Evaluation System (LES) and General Order of Merit or class standing. (pp. 111-112) c. Simplify and reduce the frequency of ratings. (pp. 111-112) 132. Disciplinary System a. Revise the system of positive incentives to encourage and recognize outstanding performance and balance the existing emphasis on punishment, which encourages minimum acceptable behavior. (p. 113) b. Create a Disciplinary Review Committee (composed of cadets and members of Tactical and Academic staffs) to draft a system of rewards. (pp. 113-114) 133. Competition. Replace inter-personal competition with challenging objective standards of performance. (p. 115) 134. The Fourth Class System a. Continue efforts to eliminate abusive and negative leadership while emphasizing supportive, developmental leadership in the Fourth Class System and Cadet Basic Training. (pp. 115-118) b. Initiate a comprehensive follow-up to the 1969 Study of the Fourth Class System to include a re-examination of the underlying assumptions and prevailing attitudes surrounding the Fourth Class 29 System with particular emphasis regarding the role and effect of stress. Consider engaging expert consultants in human behavior to do an analysis of the Fourth Class System. (pp. 116-118) c. Take immediate action to: 1) Eliminate written examinations on Fourth Class knowledge (p. 118) 2) Eliminate specious material in Fourth Class knowledge. (p. 118) 135. Women a. Establish a continuing comprehensive study of the performance of women as cadets and subsequent to graduation. b. Begin assigning women as tactical officers in AY 1977-78. (p. 119) 136. Establish a program of sex education for all cadets that would be straightforward, mature, and sufficiently broad to encompass physiology, reproduction, contraception, hygiene, and responsibility. (p. 119) 137. Branching. Separate branch, assignment from General Order of Merit and allow tentative branch assignments to be made in the Second Class year. Permit First Class cadets to participate in branch related Cadet Troop Leader Training during First Class year. Base branch selections on demonstrated ability, aptitude and interest rather than the General Order of Merit. (p. 124) Honor Code and Honor System 138. Develop an "Honor Ethic" which subsumes the Honor Code in a broader concept making clear the importance of an obligation which transcends individuals and individual loyalties without appearing to subvert the bond between cadets. This more general statement should place the Honor Code in perspective, clearly identifying it as the central experience for a cadet in the process of developing a personal standard of ethical behavior. (pp. 137-139) 139. Affirm the statement of the Honor Code. (p. 139) 140. Retain the Honor Code in its present form with no change to the requirement that cadets report all honor violations, i.e., retain the non-toleration clause. (p. 139) 30 141. The Honor Code is a reasonable standard against which to measure behavior as long as the slightest transgression does not result in permanent separation in all cases. (pp. 138-140) a. Recognize the Honor Code as being less than a comprehensive prescription for honorable behavior. (p. 137) b. Encourage the Corps of Cadets to permit the Full Honor Board to recommend "discretion" (i.e., other than permanent separation) in appropriate cases where a cadet is found to have committed an honor violation. (p. 138) 142. Continue a supervisory role for the Special Assistant to the Commandant for Honor Matters within the administration of the Cadet Honor Code and Honor System. (p. 137) 143. The Superintendent's Honor Review Committee should have an expanded role with wider representation. This committee should not be the final interpreter of the honor code; that responsibility rests solely with the Superintendent, acting for the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army. (p. 142) 144. New cadets should be fully under the Honor Code at the outset; the Superintendent's discretionary powers are adequate to deal with extraordinary circumstances. (p. 140) 145. The jurisdiction of the Honor Code should be universal; that is, the Code should apply at all places and at all times. Nevertheless, there are troubling questions concerning the responsibility of the Honor System for enforcement. Should the Code and System be coterminous or are there situations where there is only personal responsibility for enforcement? Continuing review of this matter will be needed. (pp. 140-142) 146. Retain the new Honor Committee procedures for further evaluation during Academic Year 1977-78. (p. 140) 147. Award cadet rank to executives of the Honor Committee. (p. 146) 148. Define lying in the Cadet Honor Code to be the making of an oral or written statement or gesture of communication made in the presence of and to another, intended by the maker to deceive or mislead. (p. 141) 149. Include the offense of wrongful appropriation as defined under Uniform Code of Military Justice in the definition of stealing in the Cadet Honor Code. 31 150. Eliminate the absence card completely (or, as a minimum, simplify the card). (pp. 140-141) 151. Establish a formal procedure for redress involving the Company Honor Representative and/or the Special Assistant for Honor Matters for the cadet who feels that his punishment or implication resulted from improper questioning. (p. 141) 152. Continue to improve the education plan for all aspects of the Honor Code and System. (pp. 137-138) U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS) The Study Group conducted, in effect, a separate study of the Military Academy Preparatory School, the details of which have been available to the Department of the Army, the Superintendent, USMA, and the Commandant, USMAPS. Our recommendations are listed below: 1. Establish a Board of Visitors for the Preparatory School with representation from Department of the Army, the Academy, civilian educators, and appropriate Army agencies. 2. Retain the present assignment of the Preparatory School under the jurisdiction of Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and ensure closer coordination between the Academy and the Preparatory School. 3. Retain the Preparatory School at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Prevent instability experienced in recent moves. 4. Retain the current funding system end provide funding at levels necessary to support the mission effectively. 32 CHAPTER III THE ENVIRONMENT The environment of the Academy significantly shapes cadet development. Although difficult to analyze, the environment is an aggregate of all aspects of the West Point experience. But it is more. For each service academy or college is unique, an inimitable combination of interacting forces and circumstances which may be greater or less than the sum of its parts. At West Point, academic studies build an intellectual base, military training provides fundamental soldierly skills, physical education and athletics build strength and self-confidence, chapel activities sustain spiritual values, and the Honor Code promotes dedication to an ethical standard. All these elements combine to lead cadets toward strong commitment to selfless service. The Study Group believes that West Point is greater than the total of its collected parts; it gives the nation an educational resource which is much needed and nowhere duplicated. This unique environment contributes to creating within cadets a growing allegiance to the motto: Duty, Honor, Country. Academic excellence exists in many civilian colleges, and military training is not unique to West Point. But West Point performs its academic mission in a military milieu. Thus, the military environment of West Point is a major difference between civilian universities and the Academy; it nurtures the attitudes and develops the knowledge essential to service as a professional Army officer. The intensity and duration--the unremitting purposefulness--of the military environment pervade cadet life. Except for periods of leave, cadets constantly feel its pressures and meet its demands for the four undergraduate years. Cadets are totally immersed in a world that prescribes the clothing they will wear, the hours of their day, the food they will eat, and the times they will eat it. This total--almost monastic--control of cadet life is a complex process of socialization. Army officers, who formally and informally transmit to cadets their values and their concern for the future of the Army and its officer corps, oversee this environment. From them and fellow cadets, the meanings of self discipline, personal responsibility, teamwork, time management, self sacrifice, and concepts of duty and honor are learned. Tradition also influences the cadet environment. West Point is a national historic site, dating from the American Revolution. Forts Putnam and Clinton, Washington's statue, the Great Chain, battle trophies, Constitution Island, the architectural style and names of the buildings, statues and monuments, Cullum Hall, the West Point Museum, the regimental colors in the chapel--the cadet uniform itself--all reinforce the 33 history and traditions of West Point and the United States Army. "Beast Barracks" and the Fourth Class system are major elements in the traditions of the Military Academy. The "Thayer System," substantially modernized, pervades the life of every cadet. Graduates serve as tactical officers and academic instructors thereby perpetuating tradition in the Corps of Cadets. The ties of the profession of arms and experiences as cadets and as a class forge powerful bonds among graduates. Tradition is a strong and useful force in assimilating civilians into the Corps of Cadets and into the officer corps. Properly used, tradition is a positive force; improperly used, it may be a disaster. It is commonly said that the cadet environment is static and resistant to change, but in fact there are continuous attempts to adapt to the varying currents of the contemporary Army and American society. The Army is dynamic, changing constantly by the evolution of its needs and its assigned missions. Technological developments, as complex and comprehensive in the Army as they are in civilian life, occur continuously. Simultaneously, the Army must sustain its traditional strengths: discipline and a strong ethical code are prerequisites for mission accomplishment. Today's American society places less trust in traditional forms of discipline and authority and more in individual autonomy and self-government. Both the Army and the civilian community send ambassadors of change into the cadet environment. Instructors, tactical officers, and administrative personnel are selected from the Army for service at the Academy. Since many officers attend civilian graduate schools enroute to the Academy, they arrive imbued with recent civilian educational attitudes, techniques, and ideas. Each officer leaves his imprint on the cadet environment. Because instructors, tactical officers, and administrative officers are drawn from the Army with traditions and heritages different from those of the Navy and Air Force, the cadet environment will always reflect this difference and remain distinct from the environments of other service academies. Other ambassadors of change are the cadets themselves--a heterogenous student population of varying ethnic, scholastic and socio-economic backgrounds that mirror the values, needs, and trends of their civilian peers. The interaction of all these people, values, and traditions promises that the cadet environment will always be unique and that West Point will provide education and training that cannot be found elsewhere. 34 CHAPTER IV GOVERNANCE A. Introduction. The Military Academy is an accredited institution of higher education for undergraduates - a college in a military environment. Structures of governance for such an institution marry customs of collegial autonomy with traditions of military command, a marriage which has numerous counterparts in American higher education. Most public universities, for example, combine hierarchical management modes (including provisions for accountability to the state) with broadly based consultative and deliberative bodies to influence or deter assist the chief executive officer - to influence or determine institutional policies and to chief executive officer in administering them. In the past, governance of the Military Academy has been more characteristically military than collegial, more hierarchical than deliberative and consultative. The main--indeed, almost the only--example of collegial self-government is the Academic Board, with such attendant features as academic departments, special purpose standing committees, and the Office of the Dean of the Academic Board. This collegial substructure, with responsibility for the program of academic instruction, is integrated into a specialized variant of the usual military organization. Other operational and staff units conduct programs for professional military development and for athletics and extracurricular activities; still others maintain the support installation. This environment produces a comprehensive cadet experience which is directed toward the growth of cadets in many dimensions--intellectual, professional, physical, social, ethical, and spiritual. Ideally, all members of the Military Academy staff and faculty, wherever assigned, endeavor to integrate all parts of this complex environment. The structure of governance should be a means to that end. Several purposes shaped the Study Group's review of the Academy's governance structure. First, we wished to improve the Superintendent's ability to accomplish the Academy's mission and to provide coherence in the policy advice given to the Superintendent as well as the integration of all aspects of cadet life as policy decisions are implemented. We also sought to ensure the primacy of the academic program during the school year. Additionally, we wished to reduce the burden of routine administration borne by the Superintendent, Dean, Commandant, and heads of academic departments to permit them to concentrate on improving the quality of the educational experience. An increase in the benefits of advice received from and accountings provided to external Constituents, civilian and military, constituted another goal. Finally we wanted to accomplish all these ends with minimum added cost. 35 B. The Academic Board. Federal law gives the Academic Board authority to carry out three responsibilities--recommend admission of qualified alternates, readmission of cadets, and selection of memorials. All other Board duties are prescribed by USMA Regulations, which include a provision to "make recommendations to the Superintendent from time to time concerning any matters affecting the Military Academy or the post of West Point." Thus, other than three functions imposed by law, the Academic Board is a creation of West Point. Despite its sweeping mandate, the Board is limited in its purview--at least in practice--and is similarly limited in the composition of its membership. Board members include the Superintendent, the Commandant, Dean, heads of all academic departments, directors of the Office of Military Leadership and the Office of Physical Education, and the Professor of Military Hygiene, who is also the commander of the West Point Army Hospital. The Director of Admissions sits as secretary without vote. While the Academic Board itself meets frequently--28 times during 1975, 44 times in 1976--standing committees of the Board accomplish much of the routine academic administrative work, such as admissions, disposition of deficient cadets, and accreditation of cadet candidates for graduate scholarships (See Figure 1. All figures appear at the end of this chapter). These committees normally report directly to the Academic Board and are manned almost exclusively by members of the Board. Few exceptions to this arrangement exist and usually they are limited to the position of non-voting secretary or to a specialist (e.g., Librarian). All heads of department serve on at least three such committees, and some serve on as many as nine. Some committees, such as the Admissions Committee or a Class Committee, function as decision-making bodies when acting within policy previously established by the Board. From time to time the Board establishes ad hoc committees to deal with such matters as curriculum review, selection of permanent faculty, and allocation of cadet time. The majority of the ad hoc committees are heavily weighted with Academic Board members. Board members fill all chairman positions and, in many instances, the majority of other positions. In theory, ad hoc committees report directly to the Academic Board; in practice, the General Committee, a standing committee of the Board, often reviews their reports. The role of the General Committee warrants separate comment. The General Committee's membership is exactly the same as the Academic Board, less two of its usual voting members--the Superintendent and the Surgeon--and its non-voting secretary, the Director of Admissions and Registrar. The Commandant of Cadets attends its meetings by invitation as a full participant. The Committee is a forum for discussion of studies made at the direction of the Superintendent or Dean and is sometimes a sounding board for proposals related to academic matters. 36 In some cases, the Committees analyzes items before they are considered by the Academic Board, but it does not always constitute an efficient sifting agency or forum for compromise--members frequently reserve discussion and judgment for a meeting of the Academic Board. In other cases, the Committee's agreement to a proposal constitutes the final step prior to implementation. Interviews with younger officers at the Military Academy gave the Study Group an insight to their view of institutional governance. Many of these officers believe the Academy is run by the heads of academic departments, who have little understanding of the problems of the younger faculty or the tactical officer. Some attribute great and pervasive power to the Academic Board; some believe it reaches into cadet lives even to act on such routine matters as requests for absence. They neither understand the functioning of the standing committees nor hold much hope of influencing decisions. The overwhelming majority of observers, including the Study Group, believes that the Academic Board impedes rather than facilitates progressive change. This judgment does not criticize the men who may be members of the Board, although the tenuring process does tend to select "safe" people and reject those who have a penchant for change. Rather it is a judgment about the structure itself. An organization in which authority is exercised by a small cadre of the same people over long periods tends to be stable and to resist change. This propensity is enhanced, in the case of the Academic Board, by the tradition of departmental autonomy in many academic matters and in non-tenured faculty selection, by much direct influence by the head of department over the selection of his tenured faculty, and by the corollary efforts of departments to maintain their domains. The full professors constitute a substantial element: of the institutional power structure. The structure thus contributes to inbreeding and emphasizes internal not external influences. The aggregation of power, both perceived and real, in the Academic Board results inevitably from the absence of countervailing forces to challenge the status quo. Apart from the tenured faculty, numbering fewer than 50, officers on three-year tours of duty comprise the faculty and staff. Understandably, these officers' lack of experience weakens their capacity to influence a system dominated by a small collegiate body of colonels, whose average tenure on the Academic Board is 10 years. Into the category of transient educators fall the Superintendent, the Commandant, virtually all members of the Department of Tactics, and the majority of the faculty. In contrast to the stability of the Academic Board, the Department of Tactics and most staff agencies experience frequent turnover in 37 personnel and instability of both policy and practice. No central policy group exists to reduce these instabilities. Whether by the preference of members or at the direction of the Superintendent, the Academic Board has not been influential in the formulation of programs for the professional development of cadets, character development, or athletics--all central to the mission. (Traditionally, however, some members of the Board, acting as individuals, serve on a variety of committees which have influence in these areas). The implications of these observations are clear. First, heads of departments have been overworked as governors. During 1976 (excluding the summer months), the Board met on 35 occasions; and the General Committee 23 other times, with meetings lasting one-and-a-half to two hours. Heads of departments, on the average, attended a meeting of one of those bodies every third day while classes were in session during 1976. In addition, they had other standing ad hoc committee assignments; some heads of departments serve on as many as twelve of those. The time devoted' to governance detracts from that given to departmental supervision, teaching, and research. Second, the non-tenured faculty and staff believe that their participation in the governance of the institution and their ability to affect the way it achieves its objectives are extremely limited. Few non-tenured faculty and staff serve on any of the ad hoc or standing committees. An Institutional Functioning Inventory (by Educational Testing Service; see Appendix Fl was administered to members of the staff and faculty in April 1977. Compared with similar faculty at 37 other colleges and universities, the Academy faculty placed at the second percentile with respect to the subject of participatory governance. Overwhelmingly, faculty members believe they lack the ability to contribute to that aspect of institutional life. Third, the Academic Board does not and, given its structure and interests, probably cannot, provide the Superintendent with broadly based advice for shaping the total cadet experience, which embodies programs for professional, athletic, and character development as well as academic pursuits. In recent years the bulk of the Academic Board's work, measured in terms of meetings, issues, or time, has involved decisions on individual candidates for admission or the disposition of deficient cadets. It also has studied and taken action on the administration of the academic curriculum. In short, the Board has focused on matters directly concerned with the academic program. Other important areas have received little consideration. The Board's concern with the intercollegiate athletic program, for example, is indirect, limited mainly to the work of individual Board members; it has not addressed the overall athletic program. Its involvement in the disciplinary, leadership, and military training programs has occurred at the time cadets are separated because of deficiencies in those areas. They have not undertaken any broad 38 examination of the purposes and policies of those systems and their contribution to the cadet experience, in spite, for example, of a widely held concern by Board members of the adverse effects of the Leadership Evaluation System (LES) on cadet academic attitudes. In summary, the responsibilities and purviews of the Academic Board, as defined by law, regulation and practice, are too limited to provide adequately comprehensive policy advice to the Superintendent; the membership of the Board and its committees are too restricted, needlessly excluding talented and interested contributors from the faculty and staff; heads of departments are too heavily taxed by Board work, to the detriment of their teaching, their professional development, and their leadership of the departments. Structural, changes are in order. C. Recommendations for Change to the Governance Structure 1. General. The Study Group considers the qualifications and tenure of future Superintendents central to its recommendations for change. Selectees for that position should have achieved marked professional success and possess the level of academic competence normally associated with presidents of undergraduate institutions. The Superintendent should serve a four- to eight-year tour. The Study Group further recommends: - Retaining the Academic Board with modifications of its membership and confining its responsibilities to statutory matters and to advising the Superintendent on academic matters. - Establishing a new Policy Board as the primary advisory group for the Superintendent. - Reforming the structure of advisory and administrative committees, Academy-wide. The Study Group envisions a newly established deliberative body, the Policy Board, with a comprehensive focus and a clearly defined role as the primary element for policy advice and recommendations for the Superintendent. Reporting to the Policy Board will be a number of standing committees (Figure 2). With the exception of standing and ad hoc committees of the Policy Board and the Academic Board, a committee normally should not report to another committee. Committees should draw from both non-tenured and tenured members of the staff and faculty and from academic, tactical, and staff officers. All should serve specified terms. Committees having responsibilities for Academy-wide activities generally should report to the Dean, Commandant, Deputy Post Commander, or Academic Board as appropriate. Although department heads might chair 39 selected committees, in general, they should not be members of the substructure committees. One objective of these recommendations is to permit academic department heads to concentrate on their departmental duties. 2. The Policy Board. The Policy Board should be composed of the Superintendent as Chairman, the Deputy Superintendent, the Dean, four permanent professors elected by the Academic Board for three-year terms, the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, the Chief of Staff, the Commandant of Cadets, the Brigade Tactical Officer, and the Director of Plans and Analysis as Secretary without vote. On policy matters for which they have operational responsibility, the Director of Policy, Plans and Analysis, the Director of Admissions, the Deputy Post Commander, or other officials should participate in the deliberations without vote. The mission of the Policy Board should be to advise the Superintendent on all matters having general significance for the Academy. The Policy Board should have the following specific functions: - Advise the Superintendent on all aspects of the education and training of cadets, the management of resources, the governance of the Academy, and on such other matters as the Superintendent or the Policy Board deems important. - Recommend policies for admission, readmission, graduation, and academic, military, physical, and disciplinary proficiency. - Review master plans for construction. - Recommend policies for all tenured appointments. By recommending a Policy Board with a purview broader than that of any other body at the Academy, the Study Group intends greater comprehensiveness, coherence, and unity than has been achieved in the past, both in formulating and executing policy. The large faculty representation on the Policy Board is intended to magnify the influence of the faculty in the central governance of the Academy and to increase the emphasis on education. 3. The Academic Board. The Academic Board should be continued, with its membership augmented by the Head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, the Director of the Office. of Physical Education and the Director of the Office of Military Instruction. If a head of department is elected to serve on the Policy Board, consideration should be given to seating some other tenured department faculty member on the Academic Board in his place. The workload of the Academic 40 Board has become unduly burdensome with the increase in the size of the Corps of Cadets and with greater complexity in the demands of academic administration. These conditions prompt the Study Group to recommend realignment of responsibilities to give relief to the Academic Board to ensure that it may concentrate on academic matters. The mission of the Academic Board should be to execute those functions directed by law and to advise the Superintendent on academic matters. The Academic Board should be a forum for the exchange of views among members and should be a means for heads of departments to communicate directly with the Superintendent. The Academic Board should have the following specific functions: - Recommend for return or reappointment to the Academy a cadet who is reported as deficient in conduct or studies and recommended to be discharged from the Academy. - Select the candidates and recommend those candidates selected to the Secretary of the Army, for any additional appointments authorized by Title 10, USC, Section 4343. - Recommend to the Superintendent those cadets to be separated for any reason except under Article 12, Regulations for USMA, and for medical disqualification. Cases for dismissal for academic deficiency will be brought to the Academic Board by the Dean and for conduct and leadership, by the Commandant after each has considered the concerns of the other. - Recommend to the Superintendent those cadets to receive diplomas and those to be commissioned in the services. - Select the memorials to be placed in Cullum Memorial Hall, decisions requiring a majority vote in a quorum of not less than two thirds of the entire Academic Board. -Recommend policies and procedures for graduate education of faculty members. - Recommend persons to receive permanent appointments to the faculty. (See also recommendation 78 for others involved). 4. Office of the Director of Policy and Plans and Analysis. The Study Group recommends that an Office of Policy, Plans and Analysis be established to perform these functions: institutional research to include data collection and analysis; long-range planning for the Academy; 41 organizational effectiveness; assistance to the Superintendent in setting the agendas of the Policy and Academic Boards, the Board of Visitors, and the USMA Advisory Committee; and coordination and analysis of the scheduling of all significant activities of the Academy. The Director should be a colonel who will serve as Secretary to the Policy Board and who will have a tour of duty of 4-5 years. The Superintendent requires an independent look at all aspects of cadet time. No single agency is now charged to oversee the use of cadet time. For this reason, the Superintendent must continually monitor the demands placed on cadet time and adjust its allocation and use accordingly. In addition, the Academy needs an operations research approach to the scheduling of the educational and training systems to ensure the best "mix" of staff, facilities, and time. Therefore, it is recommended that the Director of Policy, Plans and Analysis (DPA) be responsible for the following: - To evaluate and report on the adherence of Academy elements to existing scheduling policies and procedures. - To analyze and develop scheduling plans to maximize use of personnel and facilities. - To provide the Secretary of the Scheduling Committee of the Policy Board. - To conduct research and to disseminate the analysis of this research in time management and scheduling techniques. While there is a distinct difference between long-range planning and traditional institutional research, there is merit in the close integration of the two functions under the DPA. Lack of effective long range planning capability, with adequate access to ADP and analytical support, has caused the Superintendent to rely on a series of ad hoc committees, each with a single purpose. While this is both necessary and desirable, it has created the perception that West Point practices only crisis management. The Superintendent should also have at his disposal trained management personnel to analyze, interpret, and advise him on organizational problems. The establishment of an Organizational Effectiveness (OE) capability at West Point is in keeping with current Army policies. The establishment of an Organizational Effectiveness Staff Office (or elements thereof) can provide the Superintendent with a systematic application of management science and leadership methods to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of organizational elements at West Point. The placement of the OE staff effort for the Academy within the Office of Plans, Policy and Analysis is in keeping with the appropriate functions 42 of that office. Such assignment will provide the OE staff an institutional memory, access to a data bank, and ADP capability, which they may require. A Boards Secretariat should be located in the Office of Policy, Plans and Analysis. DPA's administrative branch will support secretaries of the Policy Board, Academic Board, Board of Visitors, Advisory Committee and serve as Office of Record for their committees. 5. Faculty Council. The Study Group recommends establishing a Faculty Council composed of all tenured faculty and staff members and two non-tenured faculty members from each academic department elected by non-tenured departmental colleagues. The Council should meet at the call of the Superintendent or Dean (its chairman), or at the request of a specified low number (e.g., 10 percent) of its members. The Council should facilitate communication with the Superintendent. 6. Superintendent's Honor Review Committee. Because of the importance of the Cadet Honor Code and the Cadet Honor System to the vitality of the institution, this Committee should continue to have a special relationship to the Superintendent. It reports directly to him; its members are chosen by him. The Committee should also transmit its reports to the Policy Board for consideration and comment. Additional comment on the Committee's composition and manner of operation is contained in the Military Professional Development portion of this report. 7. Dean. The Dean-'s responsibilities increase in this recommended restructuring. He is the Superintendent's chief advisor and executive for academic matters. He will recommend to the Superintendent any changes to the program of instruction, the time to be allocated to each department of instruction, and the credit-hour weight of each course. His duties include supervision of the programs and personnel of the academic departments and the library; allocation of financial resources to these agencies upon approval of the Superintendent; coordination of assignments for academic personnel; coordination of academic schedules and instructional facilities within approved policy guidelines; membership on the Policy and Academic Boards, and any other boards and committees to which he may be assigned; and any other duties which may be assigned to him by the Superintendent. The Dean should oversee permanent committees which report recommendations to him for his decision (see Figure 2); he may, at his discretion and within established guidelines, forward the recommendations to the Superintendent for final decision or for referral to the Academic or Policy Boards. 8. Director of Automation and Training Support (DATS). Another organizational area of concern to the Study Group was the management of 43 computer and training support operations. Improvements in cadet instruction on and academy use of the computers are required. Academy assistance to the US Military Academy Preparatory School in evaluating their automation requirements should also be considered. The Academy Management Information Systems Officer is positioned in the Comptroller's Office and cannot effectively manage West Point's computer resources owing to his limited authority over certain major computer elements that support cadet instruction. Similarly, responsibility for other instructional technology resources fragment among separate Academy agencies. A single manager of both computer and training support resources is recommended via the Director of Automation and Training Support (Figure 3). The DATS should have management control over existing computer and training support facilities, report to the USMA Chief of Staff, and interface with an Academy Computer Advisory Committee and Computer Users Group. Within the DATS organization, the Academic Automation Support Coordinator is the key figure. His role is that of the innovator seeking new ways to integrate use of the Academic Computer and instructional technology in the classroom. He should be a tenured faculty member. 9. Director of Admissions and Registrar (DAR). Because the quality of the entering class dramatically influences the Academy, the Study Group examined the entire admissions process. (Details of this examination are at Appendix E). Under the leadership of the DAR, the Admissions Office managed efficiently the changes required by the expansion of the Corps of Cadets during a period of vocal anti-militarism in the United States. It has reacted similarly to the requirements for the admission of women. The indications are that the Admissions Office has moved aggressively to recruit, spread information, and make personal contacts. The Cadet Public Relations program is excellent. Contacts through the Reserve Officer Liaison program, use of alumni societies, and educator visits are being pursued. The supporting computer program is innovative. Significantly, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of entering classes have remained constant while these scores nationwide have declined. There are areas, however, that need improvement. Although entrant quality remains high, a more aggressive early acceptance program and studies of qualified candidates who decline admission could improve the Academy's recruitment position. Recruiting in the future is likely to require more effort, and factors which hamper recruiting should be identified and eliminated. In any case, the incoming classes should not be filled if sufficient fully qualified and properly motivated candidates are not available. 44 Admission procedures are unnecessarily cumbersome. The Admissions Committee is currently authorized to act concerning those candidates who are obviously qualified and those obviously not. Approximately 500 candidate files on which the Committee cannot agree are forwarded each year to the Academic Board for consideration. This number is excessive, and the authority of the Admissions Committee should be broadened to permit their decision on all cases that do not represent major deviation from admissions policy. 10. Discussion. This proposed structure is functional, efficient, and administratively frugal. Committee realignment eliminates unnecessary layering. The streamlined, broadly-based Policy Board is a manageable size. The structure will permit timely surfacing of issues, decision making at the appropriate level, and a representative membership that will elicit mutual support. An important feature of the proposed Policy Board is its broad purview. It advises the Superintendent on all policy matters. The presence of the Dean and four heads of departments on the Policy Board grants academic departments a powerful voice in all deliberations. Election of the four department head Policy Board members by the Academic Board provides for proper representation of departmental and tenured faculty views and concerns in the highest governance body of the Academy. This strong faculty membership, coupled with the broad scope of the Policy Board, increases the emphasis on and primacy of educational excellence throughout the system of governance of West Point. A major advantage of the recommended structure is that it releases the heads of academic departments from their current excessive involvement in committee work, which in turn permits them to concentrate on their department interests to a degree not previously possible. The recommended structure includes a Superintendent with established academic competence who should serve for at least 4 years and preferably longer. The Study Group expects that the Superintendent will take counsel from time to time with former Superintendents, Deans, and Commandants and obtain their views on matters of moment. Further stability accrues through the provision for a long assignment for the Director of Policy, Plans and Analysis and assigning that office the responsibility for long-range planning. The presence of four tenured department heads and the Dean on the Policy Board and tenured staff and faculty representation on the key governance committees also provides stability of view and policy on all Academy matters and perpetuation of an institutional memory. The Academic Board, the Faculty Council, and the chain of command provide for checks and balances. 45 On almost all committees of the recommended governance substructure, the academic departments and the Office of the Commandant have representation. On many others, the special interests of athletics, post functions, and other activities are represented where appropriate. The details of composition of these subcommittees are at Appendix D to this report. The recommended structure, through its representational approach, permits greater use of the talented personnel assigned to West Point. This increased participation facilitates the surfacing of new ideas and early discussion of issues and concerns. D. External Governance Bodies. 1. General. At present there is no body external to the Academy which provides continuing advice, counsel, and assistance to the Superintendent through in-depth review of the Academy's activities. The Board of Visitors is charged to "inquire into the morale and discipline, the curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic method, and other matters relating to the Academy..." (10 USC, Sec. 4355). Its membership includes various members of the Congress, including Chairmen of both Armed Services Committees, and other important individuals recommended by the President. Those distinguished persons have not had the time or staff to accomplish more than brief annual inspections. Most institutions of higher learning provide for such external review and assistance for their presidents through boards of trustees. While ad hoc groups such as this Study Group have examined various aspects of the Academy from time to time, there has rarely been any continuity among the membership; and, more importantly, much time passes between the adjournment of one and convening of its successor. As beneficial as these occasional studies may be, they are sporadic and isolated, not regular or integrated. The Study Group agrees with the recommendation of the Borman Report to establish an external advisory body. 2. USMA Advisory Committee. Following these guidelines, the Study Group recommends the establishment of an external advisory body called the USMA Advisory Committee, with the mission of providing advice and assistance to the Superintendent by reviewing any activities that bear on accomplishing the mission of the Academy. The committee should consist of a chairman and approximately 12 members. Standing or temporary subcommittees should be formed as necessary. The committee should establish ad hoc visiting committees with membership not limited to that of the Advisory Committee itself. These subcommittees should convene as necessary to review academic departments or other components of the 46 Academy. The chairmen of such visiting committees should be drawn from either the ranks of the regularly appointed members or elsewhere as appropriate. The members should be distinguished civilians and military leaders. A membership slate might include one or two persons from such categories as college or university presidents, educational administrators, deans, heads of academic departments, teaching faculty, corporate executives, and active or retired military personnel. They should be selected with the goal of engendering confidence and trust between the Committee and the Superintendent. There should be no ex officio members. The Committee will be governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 USC, Appendix 1). A Secretariat stationed at West Point would serve the Committee. The secretary himself should be a former faculty member who has served with distinction for at least two years and should serve for a normal tour of duty of 2 years as secretary. The members of the Committee should be Superintendent, approved by the Chief of Staff, and Secretary of the Army. Contiguous terms of service and should be managed so that no more than one newly appointed during any two-year period, nominated by the Superintendent appointed by the Secretary should not exceed 6 years and should be managed so that no more than one third of the members are newly appointed during the two-year period. The Advisory Committee should report to the Superintendent at least annually. The Superintendent should forward copies of the report to the Chief of Staff, the Secretary of the Army, and the Board of Visitors. Visiting committees should be formed to assist the Advisory Committee in its work and should become an important channel of communication between departments and the Advisory Committee. They should also advise the heads of departments. The composition of each visiting committee should be determined by its chairman, and its members should be persons of competence on their fields. Members should be nominated by the USMA head of department concerned, approved by the Dean, and appointed by the Superintendent with the advice of the Chairman, USMA Advisory Committee. Visiting committees periodically should review departmental activities, confer with the leaders and members of the department, speak with cadets, and observe the departments at work. The Advisory Committee should meet in the manner, at the frequency, and for the duration determined by the chairman, but not less than twice annually. Visiting committees should plan to visit all portions of the Academy as needed. During periods of marked change or when unusual conditions demand, greater frequency might be required. 47 Areas of review should include: Academic activities, to include curriculum structure and content; instructional technology and methods; faculty quality, morale, staffing, and structure; laboratory and other instructional facilities; USMA Library; cadet attitudes toward academic study. Professional development activities, to include cadet morale, military training program structure and content, staff training and structure, cadet duties, physical education, training activities conducted away from the Academy, intramural athletic programs. Admissions activities, to include selection criteria, organization to conduct the admissions process, and publicity programs. Other activities that bear on the cadet life, to include extracurricular clubs and groups, intercollegiate athletics, institutional research, scheduling of cadet and Academy activities, counseling, health care, and religious life. Organization for the efficiency of the conduct of other post support activities, to include housing, maintenance, personnel, museum operations, public affairs, and other activities related to the operations of the post of West Point. Selection of tenured personnel should also constitute an area of continuing concern for the Committee. Review of the academic credentials of those nominated for tenured positions and provision of recommendations to the Superintendent would be two appropriate activities. Such other matters as the Committee, the Superintendent, or the Chief of Staff of the Army might determine. 3. Summary. The Study Group believes that the proposed USMA Advisory Committee will benefit the Military Academy with regular consultations by highly qualified and interested men and women who are dedicated to the welfare of the institution and who will improve the Academy's accountability to the American people. E. Command and Staff Organization. The Borman Commission's examination of the Academy's command and control structure indicated that the Superintendent was overcommitted. The subcommittee concurs with the Commission's conclusion that the current organizational span of control is too great. Currently, too many elements could report directly to the Superintendent and Chief of Staff 48 (see Figure 4). Of the other academies and universities studies, universities studied, the span of control of the superintendents or presidents, exclusive of boards, was significantly less. The wide span of control of the Superintendent has been complicated by the assignment of additional functions to the Chief of Staff. He also serves as the Deputy Post Commander, supervising all of the installation activities and coordinating the Academy staff at the same time. The general staff at West Point is not a true general staff as found in other Army organizations. Preponderantly involved in post support, it is in reality a post staff. While some unique staff elements are recognized, a more standard organization would improve management, efficiency, and relations with external agencies. The Academy's organization should be no more unusual than necessary. Organizational inconsistencies, complicated by doubling the size of Corps of Cadets, and a plethora of highly sensitive management problems--court challenges, Electrical Engineering 304, admission of women and others--created special strains on the management structure. West Point's designation as a national historic site further compounds its management problems. These considerations may have been responsible for the following problem areas: -Some routine decisions are made at a higher level then at most other Army installations; - Real or perceived inadequacies in the direction and control of the increasing number of cadet activities have contributed to cadet time problems; -The amount of information which can be brought to the Superintendent's attention has been limited; -Time available for the Superintendent to be personally involved with cadets has been reduced; - Management problems have been presented directly to the Superintendent. All these factors taken together indicate that, in addition to his normal Academy and post functions, the Superintendent has a myriad of other duties competing for his time. As a consequence of the Army response to the Borman Commission, the issue of an additional general officer position at West Point received extensive examination. This issue is a subjective one at best. During the events of the past few years, another general officer (probably a Deputy Superintendent, rather than a Provost) would have been useful to the Superintendent. These events include expansion of the Corps, 49 integration of women, and the Electrical Engineering 304 cheating scandal. The broad spectrum of individuals consulted, however, did not voice strong support for increasing the general officers at West Point. Reasons varied from a general feeling that reorganization would not solve current problems, that establishment of an additional position would indicate that more was better, and that another general officer was not justified. Another consideration was the organizational structure of the Air Force and Naval Academies and the number of general officers assigned to each. Further, the size and perceived complexity of West Point alone do not justify a fourth general officer position, especially when compared with other active Army installations. Also, the excessive span of control of the Superintendent can be reduced to an acceptable level by reorganization without adding another general officer. The Study Group's recommended organization (Figure 5) is to provide the optimum command and control organization to assist the Superintendent in the performance of his duties in keeping with the DA response to the Borman Commission Report. The recommended proposal is conservative and based on proven concepts. It attacks the heart of past problems, the excessive and distorted span of control of the command group at West Point. This proposal recommends no addition of a fourth general officer over the long term. However, this does not imply that another general officer for the immediate future is not necessary. The new Superintendent must look deeply into overall Military Academy policies, programs, and procedures throughout the institution during this unique period. The delegation of support functions to a general officer Deputy Superintendent would allow the Superintendent to concentrate on the fundamental issues of the Academy without the burden of routine administration of support activities. In view of the implications associated with the aftermath of the cheating scandal and the potential impact of this study, the next few years could be a critical period for the Academy. This study could change aspects of the institution from academic to administrative. It can be expected that the Academy will be subjected to increased interest by the Congress and the American public during this period. This heightened interest and expectations as a consequence of a new Superintendent along with changes anticipated from this study will create unprecedented demands on the Superintendent. The Study Group thinks that it is desirable to assign an additional general officer as Deputy Superintendent to assist the Superintendent during this period of adjustment (Figure 6). This addition will allow the Superintendent to concentrate on pressing fundamental issues that require quick resolution. One changes in Academy governance and organization, academic curriculum, military professional development, and others are firmly implemented, the position of Deputy Superintendent should be reevaluated and, if considered unnecessary, the position should be abolished. With a 50 return to normality, the Study Group's proposed organization should function efficiently and preclude the crisis management often experienced in the past. Concurrently, the Office of the Commandant is reorganized to reassert the Commandant's role as the central source of control and direction for the Corps of Cadets and to provide for more effective control of the scheduling and coordination of cadet activities. The proposed organization, in terms of major components, establishes the Office of the Commandant, consisting of three departments - Military Instruction, Physical Education, and Military Development (under the direction of the Brigade Tactical Officer). Each of these organizations is headed by a colonel. The Commandant's staff, identified by functional area, is made up of four divisions, each supervised by a lieutenant colonel--Personnel and Administration, Operations and Plans, Logistics, and Cadet Counseling. The Commandant also supervises the activities of two special staff officers--The Special Assistant for Honor Matters and the Organizational Effectiveness Staff Officer. Both hold the grade of major. The principal features of this organization (Figure 7) are the establishment of the Department of Military Development headed by the Brigade Tactical Officer (the position of the Brigade Tactical Officer is explained more fully on p. 96) and the creation of four Regimental Tactical Officers. The Department of Military Development contains all the Company Tactical Officers, who have overall supervisory responsibility for the cadets and particular interest in their military development. On the Academy staff, the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Director of Admissions and Registrar remain organizationally unchanged. But the Director of Policy, Plans and Analysis has been established and assigned responsibilities for an expanded analytic capability, the organizational effectiveness program, long-range planning, and time and scheduling analysis. The Office of the Director, Automation and Training Support (DATS) has been created in order to supervise all automatic data processing and instructional technology resources. The Comptroller, less his former Management Information Systems element, should remain directly under the Superintendent. Because of the preponderance of resources involved in the education and training missions of the Military Academy, the Comptroller at the Academy should be acknowledged as unique and not placed under the Deputy Post Commander. Cadet support activities (Treasurer and Cadet Activities Office) group under the Director, Cadet Activities (DCA) and fall under the Chief 51 of Staff for the short term. This placement should facilitate the coordination of installation support to cadet activities and will relieve the Commandant of the burden of many dysfunctional concerns. In the long run, the DCA organization might be assigned to the Commandant. Several critical functions--time and scheduling analysis, organizational effectiveness, and long-range planning--are deemed essential and suitable for placement in the Office of Policy, Plans and Analysis. The proposed organization will be highly effective in assisting the Superintendent in accomplishing the Academy mission. It provides a single manager for installation activities and frees the Superintendent from direct supervision of the installation. Also it provides the Academy with an increased and independent research, planning, and evaluation capability so that planning can be systematized and current programs or proposed changes can be analyzed. This organization provides an increased focus for cadet activities. 52 CHAPTER V ACADEMIC PROGRAM A. Introduction The Study Group began its examination of the academic program with the expectation, soon confirmed by many observations, that the Academy is a sound institution. Our task was to find ways to make it better, which meant that the process of the study paralleled in many respects an accreditation review. We initiated conversation with the executive Director of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and we have found his assistance substantial and encouraging. We are confident that when the Academy undergoes its forthcoming ten-year accreditation review, it will be judged an institution of high quality. We hope that the recommendations of our report will point toward the achievement of even greater distinction in coming years. An Academy education lays the foundation for a life-long career of service. The shape and needs of