West Point’s commitment to strengthening the diversity and character of the student body was demonstrated throughout Monday’s Board of Visitor’s session held at the US Military Academy.
Director of Admissions Col. Deborah McDonald pointed out that the academy’s Class of 2021 had the highest percentage and number of female cadets as well as African American/black cadets in history.
“It has been a phenomenal year,” she said of the surge of diversity in the student body.
Still, problems exist with the recruitment process. With high schools across the U.S. producing 81,000 fewer graduates in 2016 than in the previous year, it has been “a close knife fight” for the USMA when it comes to attracting high school students, according to McDonald.
A map presented to the board indicated that Members of Congress are nominating fewer students as candidates for the academy, and the lowest concentration of nominees lies around districts in major U.S. cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY-18), a member of the Board of Visitors, made note of this, and also pointed out that districts led by Hispanic members have almost no nominees. Womack stated that he intends to speak to Representative Jose Serrano (NY-15) about this issue.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
When Congresspeople Contribute To A Lack of The Diversity They Supposedly Champion
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My father spent a sabbatical teaching at West Point thirty years ago and said it was the most amazing group of students he had encountered. Not the smartest, but collectively, the most committed and mission focused, and able to learn. He went back to teaching at an elite university but still can't forget the feeling that everyone had your back, teachers, students, and administration alike.
I actually believe that the army can build men and women of character and worth, but this diversity stuff is divisive. I could add personal anecdotes corroborating this thesis as an immigrant from India.
I am still trying to figure out what diversity means though. Sounds mostly like a political argument against a social fact. My current understanding is that I am not diverse enough by many sensibilities. Sounds like crap to me. Excuse the French, sir.
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