History of
Women at The Citadel
Discover Where We Are and Where We Have Been
2024
The celebration of 25 years of female cadet graduates
The Citadel celebrates 25 years of female cadet graduates with events including panel discussions and a parade honoring all alumnae.
Since 1999, when the first woman graduated, female cadets have made significant strides, from becoming pioneering athletes to regimental commander in charge of the Corps of Cadets. These milestones highlight the transformation of an institution that was all-male for over 150 years.
2018-2019
Female cadet hair standards change to align with the Department of Defense
In 2018, the hair standard changes to match that of the Department of Defense. Previously, women were required to get a pixie-style haircut at matriculation, which they could then grow into a bob, but the hair could not touch the collar.
With the new hair standard, female cadets are no longer required to have their hair cut. They can wear it short, medium length but not touching the collar, or they can choose to keep it long. Long hair must be worn in a bun while in uniform, except when wearing the camouflage uniform (known as OCPs on campus), when it may be worn in a single braid or a braided ponytail. Today, women are also allowed to have modest manicures and wear jewelry, and upper-class women are authorized to wear conservative makeup.
2019
The Citadel’s first female regimental commander
Sarah Zorn, ’19, is named regimental commander, the highest-ranking cadet officer in command of the Corps of Cadets. As the first woman to lead the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, Zorn’s achievement marks a pivotal moment in the military college’s extensive history.
2016
The Citadel’s first female drum major
The first female drum major, Hunter Crawley, ’19, matriculates in 2016.
“If you had looked me in the eye in high school and told me that I would be leading a charge of 15 women on a rugby pitch or representing my school by leading a group of over 100 musicians on a national stage in the capital of the U.S., I would have laughed.”
-Hunter Crawley, ’19
2016
The Star of the West undergraduate scholarship is awarded to a female cadet for the first time
“It was then that I learned I was the first woman in the college’s history to receive this scholarship. I was deeply humbled to discover that people who had never met me believed in me. My sister later said something that truly resonated with me: ‘The Citadel chose you just as much as you chose it.'”
-Bailey Richardson, ’20
2015
Connie Book is appointed as the first female provost
Book begins her academic journey as assistant professor at Georgia College & State University (1993-1996), visiting professor at North Carolina State University (1996-1997) and assistant professor at Meredith College (1997-1999). In 1999, she joins Elon University and is named associate provost in 2010. In 2015, she makes history when she is named The Citadel’s first female provost and dean of the college. In 2018, she is appointed president of Elon University.
At The Citadel, Book is succeeded by Sally Selden, who becomes the college’s second female provost.
2015
The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame inducts the first female athlete
Stephanie McNeill, ’07, achieves numerous firsts at The Citadel, becoming the college’s inaugural female participant in NCAA postseason championships. A standout in track and field, she earns nine Southern Conference titles and is named MVP three times. McNeill, a Dean’s List student, later graduates from the Medical University of South Carolina.
2007
The Citadel magazine features its first female profile with Nicole Bastian
Nicole Bastian, ’02, is the first alumna to be featured in The Citadel magazine. The article’s hook: “A Florida beauty contestant applies to The Citadel on a whim and gets in. Why would she choose The Citadel and become one of the first 26 women to graduate, and why would she go on to become a Marine JAG?”
2003
The first female cadet joins The Citadel Honor Court
In 2003, Viann Bolick, ’04, becomes the first female member inducted into the Honor Court. The Honor Court is a 10-member body that convenes to determine whether an accused cadet’s actions are in violation of the Honor Code.
2002
The first female African American cadets to graduate from The Citadel
Thirty-two years after the first African American man joins the Long Gray Line, seven African American women cadets, nicknamed the “Magnificent Seven,” graduate from The Citadel. The seven include Adrienne Watson Crosby, Toshika “Peaches” Hudson-Cannon, Dr. Renee E. Hypolite, Natosha Mitchell Johnson, Jamey McCloud, Geneive Hardney Marshall and Lesjanusar “Sha” Peterson.
2001
The first female bagpipers join the Regimental Pipe Band
In 2001, women join the Pipe Band. The Pipe Band, which was formed in 1955, is composed of a drum major and 30 to 40 pipers and drummers and is highly competitive at Grades IV and V at Highland Games across the United States. Approximately 100 members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets comprise the combined band.
2001
Women’s golf, soccer and rifle teams achieve varsity status
Since the advent of women’s varsity sports in 2001, women’s sports have grown to include cross country, golf, rifle, soccer, track and field and volleyball. Beyond varsity sports, women can also participate in women-only basketball and rugby club sports, as well as more than 20 co-ed club sports and intramurals such as pistol, fencing, and ice hockey.
2000
The first female to graduate with commission
Petra Lovetinska Seipel, ’00, becomes the second female cadet to graduate from the The Citadel and the first female to graduate with a commission. For Seipel, building resilience is one of the most valuable outcomes of a Citadel education.
“You have to take those risks, you have to put yourself out there, to be able to learn what you’re made of. I think that is one of the things that The Citadel taught me.”
Today Seipel is a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps.
2000
The first female Regimental Executive Officer
In 1997, Mandy Garcia, ’01, becomes the first female cadet athlete, securing an athletic scholarship for both cross country and track and field. Garcia makes history again when she is named regimental executive officer, becoming the first woman to be named the second-highest rank in the Corps of Cadets.
2000
The first female company commanders
Melanie DeSantiago Kinney and Dena Abrash are named the first female company commanders. Company commanders are chosen based on intensive interviews and a thorough resume review process. Once selected, company commanders lead their company, which is composed of over 100 individuals from a variety of classes.
1999
The first female to graduate from the Corps of Cadets
In 1999, Nancy Mace is the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel. As the commencement speaker for The Citadel Corps of Cadets Class of 2024, Mace shares this advice:
“[To the female cadets who are graduating today], when you cross this stage, it might feel like a quick walk. But it’s not. It’s a long path that took over 150 years to forge. You’ll be following in the footsteps of thousands of men and 800 women who came before you. And as the saying goes, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ So when you get to where you’re going, turn around and help the next woman behind you find her way.”
1999
The first female to join the MECEP
Christina Spies is the first female and the first African American female to join the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP).
1998
The first women’s volleyball team is established
Since it’s beginning in 1998, the women’s volleyball team has been making history. In 2021, the team makes college history by becoming the first women’s team sport to win a Southern Conference title. The team wins the title again in 2023.
1998
The first female cadet to pursue commission as an active duty office
In 1998, Melanie Santiago Kinney, who secures a United States Air Force contract, becomes the first female cadet to pursue a commission. Patricia Giera is next, signing with the U.S. Army.
1997
The first female athlete joins the Corps of Cadets with an athletic scholarship
Mandy Garcia, ’01, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, is the first female athlete to join the Corps of Cadets. Garcia matriculates in August 1997 with a partial athletic scholarship for cross-country.
1995-1996
Females matriculate into the Corps of Cadets
Following a ruling in her favor by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Shannon Faulkner reports to The Citadel in August 1995 with other freshmen on Matriculation Day. She departs six days later.
In August 1996, following the removal of the male-only admission policy, four women enroll in the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Nancy Mace and Petra Lovetinska are the first two females to graduate from the S.C. Corps of Cadets in 1999 and 2000, respectively.
1982
The first female dean appointed
Suzanne Ozment, Ph.D., is named the dean of undergraduate studies and the dean of women in 1997. She is instrumental in assessing the needs of female cadets.
Ozment began her career at The Citadel in 1982 and served on the faculty of the English department for 15 years before being named dean.
1980
The first female member of Public Safety
Cathy Bowers becomes the first female member of The Citadel’s Department of Public Safety.
PSAF’s uniformed officers are fully sworn South Carolina law officers with arrest authority. They enforce the laws, ordinances, and regulations of South Carolina, the city of Charleston and all Citadel safety policies.
1975
The first African American female full-time professor
In 1975, Marlene Linton O’Bryant-Seabrook, Ph.D., a third-generation educator, becomes the first African American and one of only two women to join The Citadel’s permanent faculty, securing a full-time teaching position in the Education Department.
O’Bryant-Seabrook earned her bachelor’s degree from South Carolina State College, her master’s degree from The Citadel and her doctorate from the University of South Carolina. She began her career as a classroom teacher and central staff administrator. In 1972, she is appointed as an adjunct professor at The Citadel, before securing a full-time teaching position in the Education Department.
1974
The Citadel hires the first full-time female professor
Aline Mahan, Ph.D., is The Citadel’s first full-time female professor. She joins The Citadel in 1974 as a member of the Department of Education and moves to the Psychology Department when it is established.
In 1988, she becomes the first woman to achieve the rank of colonel at The Citadel. Mahan retires in 1991 after 17 years of service.
Today, The Citadel has female professors and staff within almost every department.
1970
The first female graduate of The Citadel
Maxine Hudson becomes the first woman to graduate from The Citadel after completing the degree requirements for a Master of Art in Teaching in December 1969. Hudson and six other women formally accept their diplomas during a commencement ceremony on May 30, 1970.
1950
The Citadel Faculty Wives Club is established
The Citadel Faculty Wives Club is established with the purpose of “promoting cooperation and friendship among the wives of The Citadel faculty and advancing the interests of The Citadel”. Mrs. Gayle Haynes serves as the first president of the club.
1941
The Hostess for The Citadel is appointed
Mrs. Jesse Gaston becomes Hostess for The Citadel, a position she serves in until 1954.
1910
Matrons are appointed to The Citadel hospital and mess hall
Florence Gasque, a registered nurse, serves as matron of The Citadel hospital from 1910 to 1929.
Fannie Chapman serves as matron of The Citadel’s mess hall from 1910 until 1919.
1909
The first female Librarian of The Citadel
Inez Parry serves as the Librarian for The Citadel from 1909 to 1925. She is born in 1877 and dies in 1925 at the age of 47 from tuberculosis.
Cadets of the senior class of 1920 write a tribute to Ms. Parry in their yearbook: “There is no one at The Citadel who makes such a profound impression as Miss Parry. She always has a friendly word and is willing to lend a helping hand. Her kind advice frequently helps a cadet at The Citadel.”
1842
The Citadel is established, with classes starting in 1843
The Citadel is established in December of 1842, with classes beginning in March of 1843. This sketch shows The Citadel in its original location on Marion Square in Charleston as it appears when classes first start.