The leadership development program provides students the opportunity to grow academically, physically, professionally and personally. Graduates from the Corps go on to serve at the local, state and national levels across all sectors.
Founded alongside Texas A&M in 1876, the Corps of Cadets stands as the university’s oldest, largest and most recognizable student organization. After Texas A&M’s military service requirement became optional in 1965, the Corps has evolved to consistently produce leaders of character for every professional sector.
Though many key elements of the Corps experience have remained the same, the organization has advanced throughout the years to fit the ever changing needs of local communities, states and the nation as a whole. The organization’s most recent advancements have emerged in an effort to ensure relevance in relation to present day leadership needs, resulting in a more intentional focus on the holistic development of each student. This enhanced wrap-around experience positions members of the organization to be successful leaders, prepared to make impacts in all facets of their lives.
“In every industry, there’s an ever evolving need for leaders who can effectively navigate present day challenges. In order for the Corps experience and the leaders it produces to remain equipped for those challenges, we have to evaluate the ways in which we are operating on a day to day basis. By pivoting some elements of the Corps experience today, we are ensuring that our nation has the leaders it needs for tomorrow,” Brigadier General (U.S. Army, Ret.) Patrick Michaelis, Commandant of the Corps of Cadets, said.
An area of the Corps experience that has significantly evolved is academics. For the past decade, one of the Corps’ major priorities has been academic excellence. A mandatory evening study time on weekdays, as well as dedicated Corps tutoring and academic advising services, have reinforced that focus, allowing the Corps to consistently post a GPA that matches or exceeds the average GPA for the university. This academic success is paired with the organization’s ability to prepare students to enter the professional world after graduation. Consistently, over 90% of all graduating cadets either have jobs lined up or have plans to continue their education by the time they cross the stage at graduation.
Building on the Corps’ success in academics, there is also now an intentional focus to expand the support cadets receive, to include the resiliency aspects of their lives. Efforts to reinforce the wrap-around focus of these elements within the Corps experience have already begun. Personal support resources, to include mental wellness support, time management instruction and physical exercise regimens that promote sustainable fitness work together to ensure that each cadet is functioning to the highest degree possible.
“With these advancements, we aren’t just creating leaders who are ready to perform at the professional level. We are looking at the whole individual, and finding ways to guide them to success in every aspect of their lives,” Michaelis continued.
Cadet Advisory Team
The Cadet Advisory Team, composed of Scholastic Performance Specialists who offer academic advising services, Corps Performance Coaches (a newly created position), Military and Operations Advisors (repurposed Cadet Training Officers), and the soon to be hired Leadership Development Advisors, will facilitate holistic development amongst cadets, promoting both organizational and individual cadet development.
Members of this team will work together to identify areas of strength and improvement for each individual student, providing recommendations for growth in multiple facets of their life and throughout their Corps career. Unique compared to other Senior Military Colleges and the service academies, the Cadet Advisory Team ensures cadets are aware of the full range of professional and personal development tools available to them.
Corps Performance Coaches
The Corps Performance Coach (CPC) role places additional emphasis on cadet resilience training across multiple facets.
“The primary focus of the Corps Performance Coaches will be to provide training that takes a ‘whole person’ development approach to each of our students. Through collaboration with the academic and military advisor roles, CPCs will educate cadets on different health initiatives and build their resiliency across a multitude of areas,” Meredith Simpson, Chief of Staff for the Office of the Commandant, said.
“This added instruction will support cadets as they navigate day to day challenges, and will help them find an effective balance between their academic pursuits and the Corps lifestyle and culture. We want our cadets to become resilient individuals who are able to grow and thrive in challenging environments, and the Corps Performance Coaches will provide avenues toward that,” she continued.
Military and Operations Advisors
The Military and Operations Advisors also play a significant part in each cadet’s development. These roles, which are an evolution of the Cadet Training Officer position, work in teams of two per each major unit and advise cadets as they navigate their day to day responsibilities. Military and Operations Advisors ensure that cadets at every phase in the Corps experience have the support they need to make optimal leadership decisions.
“In developing a future leader, it is important we provide a positive example on how to approach challenges. Military and Operations Advisors work in tandem to help cadets examine the best way to lead people, organizations and systems in an ethical manner from the perspective of an experienced professional,” First Sergeant (U.S. Army, Retired) Ken Griffing, Operations Advisor for the Corps’ First Wing, said.
“Our role as advisors is to encourage cadets to understand different theories of leadership and how to apply them appropriately given the situation, either through formal instruction or by coaching,” Griffing continued.
Leader Development Advisors
Leader Development Advisors (LDAs) will facilitate the integration of leadership theory instruction that cadets receive in the classroom and the practical guidance that they receive from their Advisors and CPCs. LDAs will create an immersive leadership development experience that touches every aspect of cadet daily life.
Through a partnership with Undergraduate Studies, these new members of the Office of the Commandant staff will have extensive experience as leaders in the military or private sector and have an educational background in leadership and organizational development.
“The addition of a Leader Development Advisor, in the form of a Professor of Practice, allows our students to benefit from the synergy of cadet initiatives improved through an intentional connection with current leadership theory. We want to enhance the leadership development of all cadets through the integration of theory and practice while drawing on the personal experiences of our LDAs,” Simpson said.
Using their position as both a professional mentor and an educational instructor, LDAs will advise cadets in overcoming and learning from the leadership challenges they’re faced with throughout their Corps careers.
A Living Leadership Laboratory
Though the Corps of Cadets stands today as Texas A&M’s premier leadership development program, it is important to recognize that this status was achieved through the continued enhancement and evolution of the organization’s leadership education over the years.
Combining both the applied leadership experiences and the leadership theory instruction that the Corps’ Hollingsworth Center provides, cadets learn and put their leadership knowledge to work on a daily basis. With the added layers of advising provided by the Cadet Advisory Team, cadets can comfortably test their leadership skills, learn from their mistakes and get a feel for their personal leadership style preferences.
Applied Leadership Experiences
Leadership development in the Corps takes place in the form of providing cadets real world opportunities to make decisions for themselves and on behalf of a group.
Within one’s home unit, cadets learn first as freshmen to be accountable for their own studies and time management skills while adhering to the Corps’ regimented lifestyle. Freshmen are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the university’s core values and how they can apply them to their personal lives. As one progresses through their class years, their responsibilities shift toward instructing the class years below them in those practices, while continuing to develop themselves.
Throughout their Corps journeys, cadets have the opportunity to apply for various leadership positions across the organization. These positions, no matter the level, provide students opportunities to lead groups and learn more about their personal leadership preferences and abilities as they go. Serving on a unit chain, such as Public Relations or Operations, also gives cadets the opportunity to pursue leadership endeavors in areas that may interest them, effectively giving them the opportunity to develop skills that are transferable to their future careers.
Extra involvements, such as membership in one of the Corps’ special units, give cadets the platform to develop skills like event planning and peer leadership. Parsons Mounted Cavalry (PMC), is a special unit open exclusively to junior and senior cadets. As the nation’s largest collegiate mounted cavalry unit, students within PMC plan and execute all unit operations, from care schedules for the unit’s 70 horses and mules, to trip planning and logistics for the various parades around the state and nation that the unit rides in each year.
The developmental opportunities offered through special units like PMC are just one example of the many ways cadets can get involved outside of their home units. From club level sports teams to professional development organizations, students in the Corps have the ability to identify and pursue their passions and interests while growing and developing as a leader.
Building upon these practical developmental experiences, the Hollingsworth Center helps cadets recognize the competencies they’ve developed by connecting them with industry leaders. Through workshops, speaker series and conferences, cadets gain a better understanding of how the competencies they’ve gained as a result of the Corps experience will serve them beyond graduation.
Leadership Theory
These practical experiences are complemented by leadership theory taught in the classroom and facilitated by the Hollingsworth Center. Throughout their four years in the Corps, cadets are required to partake in courses offered by the School of Military Sciences (SOMS). SOMS course offerings include Principles of Academic and Personal Development, Developing and Instructing Others, Executive Leadership and many other topics. These course offerings are structured so cadets benefit from a year round, robust focus in the development of multiple career readiness competencies, to include critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism and communication skills.
One tangible indicator of the leadership education cadets receive is the Hollingsworth Certificate in Applied Ethical Leadership. Cadets who pursue this certificate complete a capstone course in ethical leadership, document their practical experiences across the university, create an Individual Leadership Development Plan that spans multiple semesters and conduct a comprehensive exit interview with a personal mentor.
In a first of its kind for the Hollingsworth Center, a new partnership with the National Medal of Honor Griffin Institute expands opportunities for cadets. The leadership certificate is endorsed by the Griffin Institute, and related coursework informs cadets on Medal of Honor recipients and how their displayed characteristics of leadership can be applied in every aspect of life, across each professional sector.
“With eight former students among its recipients, Texas A&M has a long and proud connection to the National Medal of Honor. This partnership builds on that connection by allowing our students to learn about the legacies of Medal recipients and use their knowledge to lead at the next level,” Michaelis said.
The Corps is also a stakeholder in the university’s leadership minor. The minor’s curriculum consists of foundational courses in leadership theory, practice-focused courses that allow cadets to dive into areas that support their professional goals, while completing capstone experience and a required reflection. The minor features course offerings through SOMS, Communications, Ag Leadership and other members of the campus community. View the leadership minor’s program requirements here.
Lessons learned within the classroom can be directly applied to one’s role in the Corps, from the freshman to the senior levels. As cadets progress both in the classroom and in the organization, they are actively studying and testing relevant leadership theories and practices, creating a living leadership laboratory. The result of this experience is a deeper understanding of practical leadership applications that will translate well to the public, private, non-profit and military sectors.
Though cadets are the most common consumers of the aforementioned course offerings, those not in the Corps can also benefit. Open to all students at Texas A&M, the expanded educational offerings from within the Corps are building leaders of character at every corner of Texas A&M’s campus.
Sustainable Physical Wellness
An important part of the Corps’ holistic development structure is the utilization of physical wellness routines that promote lifelong, sustainable fitness practices. When paired together, proper physical conditioning and nutritional intake practices better align cadets for healthier futures.
The Corps’ Athletic Training Room (ATR) supports injured cadets by monitoring their recovery process and educating students on how to heal properly. This coaching, provided by athletic trainers who exclusively serve the Corps, allows cadets to continue to meet the physical standards of the Corps and their ROTC programs, if applicable.
“With the appropriate amalgam of diet, rest and exercise, it’s astonishing the feats the human body can accomplish. Under the umbrella of care within the athletic training room and the licensed and certified athletic trainers that staff it, we can provide services from the immediate time of injury, aid in the evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries, and provide information and guidance in injury prevention and exercise program design,” Sam Goodey, one of the Corps’ athletic trainers, said.
“The goal of the athletic training staff is to assist the members of the Corps of Cadets and be the first point of contact for any health-related needs, so that they can continue to be healthy athletes long after they graduate from Texas A&M,” Goodey continued.
Efforts are also underway to ensure that cadets are adequately fueled nutritionally. Similar to student athletes, the daily demands of a cadet call for more physical output than those of the typical college student. Working together with Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, the Office of the Commandant is able to identify ways in which cadet nutritional needs can be met.
“The Corps of Cadets' partnership with Chartwells has played an integral role in our development of young leaders. The Chartwells team is dedicated to providing nutritious meals to our 2,000+ cadets, and they do so on a consistent and highly efficient basis. Chartwells always considers our cadets and their outside physical demands when developing their dining options. Their commitment to providing what our cadets need, when they need it, is greatly appreciated,” Michaelis said.
We Make Leaders
Though on a transformational journey toward growth and heightened impact, the Corps of Cadets’ mission remains the same: developing well educated leaders of character who are prepared for the challenges and trials of tomorrow.
Even in its present era of growth and transformation, members of the Corps of Cadets continue to be Texas A&M’s Guardians of Tradition and the Keepers of the Spirit. With a focus on providing an immersive and intentional experience which develops the whole student, the Corps is able to build leaders in every aspect, while continuing to serve Texas A&M.
“The developmental experience that’s offered by the Corps of Cadets is like no other. Proposed and enacted developments look to preserve that experience and its status as Texas A&M’s premier leadership development program,” Michaelis said.
“We are creating well rounded leaders who are passionate about what they’re doing, the people they’re serving with and the greater picture at hand. Our students are driven to serve the world around them, and we are here to give them the tools they need to do so,” Michaelis continued.
As the Corps of Cadets presses toward the future, present growth and transformation efforts are rooted in ensuring that the Corps experience remains grounded in what makes the organization special, while also promoting forward progress that secures relevancy for generations to come.
