West Point redirects here. For other uses, see West Point (disambiguation). United States Military Academy at West Point U.S. Military Academy COA.png Motto Duty • Honor • Country[1] Established 16 March 1802[2] Type U.S. Service Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen USMA 75 Dean Brig. Gen. Timothy E. Trainor USMA 83 Commandant Brig. Gen. John C. Thomson III USMA 86 [3] Academic staff 580 Students 4,624 cadets Location West Point, New York, U.S. Campus Suburban – 16,080 acres (6,507.3 ha) Fight song On Brave Old Army Team Colors Black Gray Gold Athletics NCAA Division I - PL AHA CSFL EIGL EIWA Sports 24 varsity sports teams (15 mens and 9 womens) Nickname Black Knights Mascot Mule Website westpoint.edu United States Military Academy U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark United States Military Academy is located in New York United States Military Academy Coordinates 41°23′34″N 73°57′30″W NRHP Reference # 66000562 Significant dates Added to NRHP 1966 Designated NHL 19 December 1960 The United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA), also known as West Point, Army, The Academy or simply, The Point, is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in West Point, New York. The academy, located in Orange County, sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. The entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites, buildings, and monuments. The majority of the campuss neogothic buildings are constructed from gray and black granite. The campus is a popular tourist destination complete with a large visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States Army. Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Other nomination sources include the President and Vice President of the United States. Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as cadets or collectively as the United States Corps of Cadets (USCC). Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation. Approximately 1,300 cadets enter the Academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating. The academic program grants a bachelor of science degree with a curriculum that grades cadets performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics. Cadets are required to adhere to the Cadet Honor Code, which states that a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. The academy bases a cadets leadership experience as a development of all three pillars of performance: academics, physical, and military. Most graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army. Foreign cadets are commissioned into the armies of their home countries. Since 1959, cadets have also been eligible to cross-commission, or request a commission in one of the other armed services, provided they meet that services eligibility standards. Every year, a very small number of cadets do this, usually in a one-for-one trade with a similarly inclined cadet or midshipman at one of the other service academies. Because of the academys age and unique mission, its traditions have influenced other institutions. It was the first American college to have an accredited civil-engineering program, the first to have class rings, and its technical curriculum was a model for later engineering schools. West Points student body has a unique rank structure and lexicon. All cadets reside on campus and dine together en masse on weekdays for breakfast and lunch. The academy fields fifteen mens and nine womens National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports teams. Cadets compete in one sport every fall, winter, and spring season at the intramural, club, or intercollegiate level. Its football team was a national power in the early and mid-20th century, winning three national championships. Its alumni and students are collectively referred to as The Long Gray Line, and its ranks include two Presidents of the United States (as well as the President of the Confederate States of America), presidents of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and of the Philippines, numerous famous generals, and seventy-five Medal of Honor recipients. (Averell)
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 04:56:25 +0000
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