Statement of Vision

Achieving excellence in the education and development of principled leaders.

Core Values

The mission of The Citadel is achieved with the focus on the three core values of Honor, Duty, and Respect.

Honor

First and foremost honor includes adherence to the Honor Code of The Citadel. A cadet “will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do”. The commitment to honor extends beyond the gates of The Citadel and is a life-long obligation to moral and ethical behavior. In addition, honor includes integrity; “doing the right thing when no one is watching”. Finally, honorable behavior includes exercising the moral courage to “do the right thing when everyone is watching”. The Honor Code is the foundation of our academic enterprise.

Duty

First and foremost duty means to accept and accomplish the responsibilities assigned to me. At The Citadel, my primary duty is to perform academically and then to perform as a member of the Corps of Cadets and the campus community. I accept the consequences associated with my performance and actions. Once I have held myself accountable for my actions, then I will hold others accountable for their actions. Finally, duty means that others can depend on me to complete my assignments and to assist them with their assignments. Duty is also a call to serve others before self.

Respect

First and foremost respect means to treat other people with dignity and worth. To treat people the way you want others to treat you. Respect for others eliminates any form of prejudice, discrimination, or harassment. This includes but not limited to rank, position, age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, physical attributes, etc. In addition, respect for others means to respect the positions of those in authority. This includes faculty, staff, administrators, active duty personnel and the leadership of the Corps of Cadets. Finally, respect includes a healthy respect for one’s self.

Mission

As a higher education institution, The Citadel’s mission is to educate and develop our students to become principled leaders in all walks of life. This is done by instilling the core values of The Citadel (Honor, Duty and Respect) in a disciplined and intellectually challenging environment. A unique feature of this environment for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets is the sense of camaraderie. This is produced through teamwork and service to others while following a military lifestyle.

The Citadel strives to produce graduates who have insight into issues, ideas, and values that are of importance to society. It is equally important that Citadel graduates are capable of both critical and creative thinking, have effective communication skills, can apply abstract concepts to concrete situations, and possess the methodological skills needed to gather and analyze information.

Throughout its history, The Citadel’s purpose has been to educate undergraduates as members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets and to prepare them for post-graduate positions of leadership. This is accomplished through academic programs of recognized excellence supported by the best features of a military environment. The cadet lifestyle provides a structured environment that supports growth and development of each student’s intellect, discipline, physical fitness, and moral and ethical values. The four pillars which define The Citadel experience for cadets consist of these four developmental dimensions.

A complementary purpose of The Citadel, realized through The Citadel Graduate College is to provide the citizens of the Lowcountry and the State of South Carolina opportunities for professional development by offering a broad range of educational programs of recognized excellence at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. These programs accommodate the needs of non-traditional students seeking traditional and demanding academic challenges.

Through its undergraduate and graduate programs, The Citadel Graduate College serves a degree-seeking population of approximately 1,200. The primary service area is the South Carolina Lowcountry. The Citadel Graduate College offers three baccalaureate degree programs (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering) and seven graduate degree programs (Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Arts in Education, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Business Administration, and Specialist in Education). Meeting the needs of the South Carolina Lowcountry in terms of instruction, public service, and research, including such initiatives as cooperative programs with other educational institutions, is an important part of The Citadel’s mission.

Together, the Corps of Cadets and The Citadel Graduate College enroll approximately 3,200 students, about three-fourths of whom come from South Carolina.