News, Events & More
– Yard Gouge Spring 2024
Posted: 3/29/2024
Council of Class Presidents meeting, October 2023
Hello everyone! Please see the summarized notes from our Fall 2023 Council of Class Presidents meeting, held in Annapolis. Fondly, Denise
Representing the Acting Superintendent – CAPT Steve Vahsen ‘85, Executive Director for Strategy, USNA
- New Academic Dean and Provost is Dr. Samara L. Firebaugh—she comes from a Princeton and MIT background with great leadership experience
- Summer training is back on track and in full-swing after several years of modified cruises
- Men’s Rugby, National Champs and 8-0 after demolishing Air Force
- Women’s Triathalon—36th Varsity sport—off to a great start
- Men’s Cross Country dominated at West Point and brought home our first N star this fall
- Renamed Facilities—Carter Hall (replaces Maury Hall) and Farragut House (replaces Buchanan House)
USNA construction:
- Farragut Seawall—deal with the rising sea levels that are increasingly occurring and threatening the longevity of USNA—approximately 2 and a half feet higher than the previous Sea Wall—first stage completion target is Summer ’24
- Mahan Hall—front facade is completed and the tower portion remains under construction—completion target Summer ’24
- MacDonough Hall—built in 1903 and not upgraded recently—renovations to be completed in 2025
- Sherman Field area—main voltage cables for primary and redundant power and it is in fragile condition—replacing the cables across the field and under the water to Dewey and inward
- YP Pier project—pier has been mended but still needs to be re-built
Tim Ford, Sr. Associate Athletic Director, Naval Academy Athletic Association
- Won Rugby NCAA National Championship in our first Varsity season last year
- Navy has 36 Varsity sports, the most among NCAA universities
- Army to join the AAC (football only) and will remain in the Patriot League for other sports — we won’t play Army in football at all during the AAC regular season; and the Army Navy Game will be played following the Championship game of the AAC
- Facility ambitions for the next capital campaign include: Greenbury Point, NMCMS, 19th Hole Grill, Lacrosse Center, Aquatics Center, and Max Bishop Stadium
- Q: When will the North end zone be ready at NMCMS? A: goal is to begin in ‘24 and we would commence construction after the Military Bowl
- Q: Is there a focus on sustainment funds for other sports besides football? A: Coaches are charged with coaching/teaching. Chet is committed to the fundraising mechanism, and he doesn’t count on the coaches to do fundraising. Chet does his best to bridge the gap with athletic excellence and all sports now have an athletic excellence fund. If donations are intended to be for a specific sport, then they should be specified for that sport by the donor.
Posted by Ingar Grev on behalf of Denise Willert on 3/28/23
– Yard Gouge Fall 2023
Posted: 8/28/2023
Council of Class Presidents meeting, May 2023 USNA
Please excuse my delay with this update from the Spring Council of Class Presidents meeting held at USNA in May. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Thanks so much and have a wonderful remainder of summer!
Fondly,
Denise
Brief by VADM Sean Buck ’83, USNA Superintendent
- His relief on 7 July will be VADM Yvette Davids ‘89 (update: currently on hold due to Congressional delays)
- It has been an honor to work at USNA and shape Midshipmen
- The United States Naming Commission changed the name of Maury Hall to Carter Hall (Buchanan House and Buchanan Rd to be changed at a future date)
- Infrastructure projects continue: McDonough Hall renovation is 22% complete and the Farragut seawall is in progress
- Service Academy Gender Relations Survey
- Sexual assaults have gone up — more reports indicates trust in the system, but more incidents is not good and has my full attention
- Navy was the worst of the Service Academies
- 23% of the women and 4.6% of the men said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact in the past 12 months. 65% of the time alcohol was involved.
- Fixes: Education – Enforcement – Example
- Lunch is now mandatory and there’s a four-minute drill of discussion around the squad table on a sensitive topic (sexual assault, intoxication, mental health, etc. scenarios). This has helped establish a dialogue and educate Midshipmen
- Company and athletic team culture assessments are being done
- The Midshipman Holsen case (charged with rape of a Midshipman in Annapolis and found not guilty in a civilian criminal court case) set the sexual assault program back 15 years
- Women’s triathlon is our 36th Varsity sport; Navy athletics has had a great year with 13 conference champions, Men’s Rugby is currently #1 in the nation
- Two new majors: Foreign Area Studies and Data Science
- Dr. Samara Firebaugh was selected as the next Academic Dean and Provost and will take over from Dean Phillips in July
- Sea level rise continues to be a problem. A plan is in place to sequentially make changes to the infrastructure from now until 2060. The Columbarium is part of the flooding mitigation plan. The immediate fix is to build some niches up the hill at the cemetery and then long-term move the existing Columbarium to the area off Boyer Rd, after the houses there (across from Gate 8) have been torn down.
Brief by Mr. Chet Gladchuk, USNA Director of Athletics
- Navy athletics is all about developing future leaders for the Fleet
- We won the Patriot League President’s Cup in nine of the past ten years and we will win it again this year!
- Navy football has turned over 16 staff positions. Spring practice went very well. Notre Dame game is sold out. Army-Navy in Boston is a smaller venue and will have 10k fewer tickets.
- Athletic facilities & strategic planning:
- Nutrition is a key component of Navy sports facilities and cost $900k/year
- Fundraising is in progress for the Lacrosse facility next to Glenn Warner Soccer Complex
- Renovating the seating at the Cooper Rd outdoor tennis courts, as well as at the Brigade Sport Complex, is also in the planning stages
- New aquatics center is a need with the location TBD
- Blue side of Navy – Marine Corps Memorial Stadium will have a tower much like the Akerson Tower on the gold side.
- ‘53 pavilion will be upgraded as an indoor facility that supports 700 people
- 19th Hole Grill Room at Brigade Sports Complex
- Greenbury Point is being studied for possible golf course, cross country course, public boat launch and RV park
Posted by Ingar Grev on behalf of Denise Willert on 8/28/23
– Yard Gouge Spring 2023
Posted: 2/26/2023
Hello everyone, and welcome to spring 2023! Please find below a short summary of the December 2022 USNA Council of Class Presidents (COCP) meeting:
COCP Chairman Steve Comiskey, Class of 1969
- COCP is a key partner with the Alumni Association/Foundation and the Athletic Association
- COCP is an important conduit for information sharing across the classes, and to ensure that all Alumni feel welcomed
Superintendent VADM Sean Buck, Class of 1983
- COVID is in the rear-view mirror; ops normal
- Change to service selection — physically qualified midshipman can go Information Warfare
- The Yard — refurbishment of McDounough Hall and repairs to Farragut Seawall
- Key metrics: Graduation rate is 91.2, better than other Service Academies; applications in 2021 dropped about 20 percent
- Hot button issues:
- Naming commission — Buchanan House, Buchanan Road, Maury Hall no later than Jan 2024
- Tamanend — Was never Tecumseh; we do not paint the other bronze statues on the Yard as to do so would be disrespectful; cleaning paint off the statue was wearing down the statue itself, now the base only will be painted
- COVID 19 vaccine — no diploma or commission was denied and no midshipman have been discharged for not having COVID vacine (note, since this briefing, Congress voted to rescind the DoD COVID vaccine policy)
- Fixing Farragut seawall is the first of many steps to protect the infrastructure of USNA, to include the Columbarium, from rising sea level
Guest Speaker, Marine Corps General John R. Allen, Class of 1976
- Significant stresses exist to international stability
- Migration of wealth and power from West to East
- Shift to authoritarian and populist governments
- Increase in urbanization
- Population growth in developed nations decreasing, in developing nations increasing
- China and Russia have their own view of the world order
- Climate change is a destabilizer, and US leadership is important
- AI will be a threat if not ethically developed, US leadership is important
- Pandemics will continue to be a threat if you don’t get ahead of them
- Near-earth objects are a real threat to the planet
Alumni Association and Foundation briefings
- USNA Foundation exists to raise funds to support the mission of USNA and the Alumni Association
- Past two fundraising campaigns were very successful — next campaign’s quiet phase to being in April 2024
- Foundation is looking at establishing an endowment so that giving can occur in perpetuity
- Alumni Association is back on track with the DGA program; selection panel is very diverse
- Standards of Conduct established for board members and trustees of the Alumni Association
- Considering two new Shared Interest groups — surviving spouses and angel investors/contributors
- Strategic Plan 2030 is ongoing
- Alumni Center is on schedule and on budget; building with be completed spring/summer 2023; operational fall 2023
- Priority to the fall of 2023 will go to Mission and Alumni events; beginning in the spring of 2023 there will be an Alumni Center page on usna.com
Athletic Department
- Two varsity sports added this past year, Men and Women varsity rugby
- Two more varsity sports to be added this year, Women’s Squash and Women’s Triathlon
- Physical mission capital projects include: an additional 18-hole golf course of Greenbury Point; updates to the Dyer tennis faciliy; indoor tennis facility will have bleachers and scoreboards; a lacrosse facility and outdoor aquatics facility are in the planning phase; enhancements to NMCMS
- No thought of moving Air Force game to a neutral site
- Coaches are working to ensure that players understand that their commitment is beyond four years and not to be shortsighted by using the transfer portal
Mr. Jeff Webb, Class of 1995 — CEO and President, USNA Alumni Association and Foundation
- Been in the job for six months now, busy working the organization and filling gaps
- We do not have perpetual dollars and look forward to establishing an endowment
- AA, Foundation and A&SP are integrated and exist to: Support USNA; Support Legacy projects; Support relationship building with reunions, chapters, tailgates, SIG, SACC, etc
- New SIGs approved: Naval Engineers and STEM Advocates (NESA), USNA Pride
- Pending SIG: Entrepeneurs
- 52 percent of the American public is not aware of USNA — education of the public is a strategic goal
Additional briefers included the USN Athletic & Scholarship Programs; Naval Academy Minority Association; and the Alumni Association Senior Director of Engagment.
The next Council of Class Presidents meeting will be held at the end of April 2023 in Annapolis. I’ll post the next update soon afterward.
Now’s the Time, 89!
Fondly, Denise
’89 Class President
Posted by Ingar Grev on behalf of Denise Willert on 2/25/23
– Honor our Fallen Fundraising
Posted: 12/15/2022
Hopefully you have seen the many emails and postings about the Class of 89 fundraising to honor our Line of Duty Losses. Click here for more details and to donate.
Matching gift challenge: A small group of our classmates have agreed to contribute up to an additional $25K if these monies are matched by class of 1989 members who – as of the Army game – give to the Honor our Fallen fund. This matching gift challenge ends Christmas Eve, so please consider contributing or adding to your current contribution.
Multiyear Pledge Option.
You can stretch your donation over five years and give $89.00 per year, $1989.00, or any amount that fits your budget.
Download this form if you are doing a multiyear pledge. If you use this method, please e-mail Brian Caldwell to let him know.
If you have ANY questions, please do not hesitate to contact Brian Caldwell. Brian is our class point person for the special project.
Posted by Ingar Grev on behalf of Brian Caldwell 12/14/22
– Yard Gouge Spring 2022
Posted: 3/13/2022
Hello everyone, and welcome to spring 2022! Please find below a short summary of the December 2021 USNA Council of Class Presidents (COCP) meeting:
COCP Chairman Steve Comiskey, Class of 1969
- COCP is a key partner with the Alumni Association/Foundation and the Athletic Association
- COCP is an important conduit for information sharing across the classes, and to ensure that all Alumni feel welcomed
Alumni Association and Foundation briefings
- Investment percentage made by the recent $541 million fundraising campaign included 35% to Academics, 21% to Athletics, 17% to unrestricted giving, and 9% to Leadership and Ethics; 85 percent of fundraising goes directly to the need (15 percent staff goes to staff overhead, communications and other fixed costs). Click here for more details
- Every gift received can be tied to the 2020 USNA and Alumni Association Strategic Plans
- Alumni Association Board and leadership positions have grown more diverse and younger; the Class of 1992 is the median class for all living Alumni
- USNA has 59,000 living graduates and 85,000 living Alumni
- Shared Interest Groups are part of Alumni outreach
- Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) is going well and is in-person again.
- New Alumni Center: construction began Oct 2021 with substantial completion expected in March 2023. The new building can accommodate up to 1100 persons for events like reunions. Click here to see live images of the construction progress
COCP participants toured Hopper Hall and the Terwilliger Center
Brief by Superintendant VADM Sean Buck, Class of 1983, at Terwilliger Center
** Please note that comments pertaining to the Physics cheating scandal, DoD Naming Commission, Critical Race Theory, Tecumseh et al have been sent to the class over e-mail.
- Activities have largely returned to normal
- Commandant has been charged with growing the Professionalism, Accountability and Esprit de Corps of the Brigade (items most affected by COVID constraints)
- International programs remain a priority
- Emphasis on standards of conduct
- Diversity and inclusion: “We can be diverse, but if we aren’t inclusive, we fail”
- New majors: Foreign Area Studies (2021) and Data Science (2022)
- Chapel Dome project is complete
- Rising sea level: plan to mitigate flooding is in progress
Athletic Department
- Class of 1965-sponsored Legends of Sports exhibit is on display at the Terwilliger Center
- Upcoming projects include NMCMS Gardens, Men and Women’s Lacrosse Facility, and the Naval Academy Golf Course (additional 18 holes under consideration)
US Naval Institute
- USNI has been on the Yard since 1873
- Still publishing books and reaching a younger audience through live streaming and various forms of media
- An excellent venue to consider for Class events and reunions
The next Council of Class Presidents meeting will be held at the end of April 2022 in Annapolis. I’ll post the next update soon afterwards!
Now’s the Time, 89!
Fondly, Denise
’89 Class President
Posted by Ingar Grev on behalf of Denise Willert on 3/12/22
– Beat Army 2021 Tailgater!
Posted: 12/2/2021
Click here to get all the gouge and register.A few reminders:
Registration is not required – just really helpful! Registration helps us plan – especially given the size of our typical Beat Army tailgaters, but we always have stragglers and we always plan for stragglers. If there’s a chance that you’ll come, though, please register ASAP so that we can plan accordingly – just select “pay at the door” so that you can hedge your bets. We start buying food and supplies on Saturday, December 4.
Want to Volunteer? We could always use volunteers for food / menu planning / selection, heavy lifting (set up and shut down), etc., but – again – what’s most important is that you come. Just let me (Ingar) know!
Donations: Just donate whatever you want, nothing, or in kind. What’s most important is that you join us! We’re bringing beer, wine, soft drinks, sparkling/regular water, coffee, tea, and a few odds and ends, so there’s no need to bring drinks along!
If there’s a chance you might come, please click here and register by Thursday night so that we can start buying food on Friday!
Beat Army!
Ingar
Posted by Ingar Grev on 12/2/21
– Beat ECU 2021 Tailgater!
Posted: 11/16/2021
Click here to get all the gouge and register.A few reminders:
You Don’t Need Tickets to Tailgate: we have a TV this season, so just come out and hang out with your classmates! Stay outside with the food and drink if you are unable to find tickets for the game. Weather permitting, we’ll be showing the game!
Want to Volunteer? We could always use volunteers for food / menu planning / selection, heavy lifting (set up and shut down), etc., but – again – what’s most important is that you come. Just let me (Ingar) know!
Registration is not required – just really helpful! Registration helps us plan, but we always have stragglers and we always plan for stragglers. If there’s a chance that you’ll come, though, please register so that we can plan accordingly.
Donations: Just donate whatever you want, nothing, or in kind. What’s most important is that you join us! We’re bringing beer, wine, soft drinks, sparkling/regular water, coffee, tea, and a few odds and ends, so there’s no need to bring drinks along!
If there’s a chance you might come, please click here and register by Thursday night so that we can start buying food on Friday!
Beat ECU!
Ingar
Posted by Ingar Grev on 11/15/21
– Beat #2 Cincinnati 2021 Tailgater!
Posted: 10/20/2021
Click here to get all the gouge and register.A few reminders:
You Don’t Need Tickets to Tailgate: we have a TV this season, so just come out and hang out with your classmates! Stay outside with the food and drink if you are unable to find tickets for the game. Weather permitting, we’ll be showing the game!
Want to Volunteer? We could always use volunteers for food / menu planning / selection, heavy lifting (set up and shut down), etc., but – again – what’s most important is that you come. Just let me (Ingar) know!
Registration is not required – just really helpful! Registration helps us plan, but we always have stragglers and we always plan for stragglers. If there’s a chance that you’ll come, though, please register so that we can plan accordingly.
Donations: Just donate whatever you want, nothing, or in kind. What’s most important is that you join us! We’re bringing beer, wine, soft drinks, sparkling/regular water, coffee, tea, and a few odds and ends, so there’s no need to bring drinks along!
If there’s a chance you might come, please click here and register by Thursday night so that we can start buying food on Friday!
Beat #2 Cincinnati!
Ingar
Posted by Ingar Grev on 10/19/21
– Beat SMU 2021 Tailgater!
Posted: 10/4/2021
Click here to get all the gouge and register.A few reminders:
You Don’t Need Tickets to Tailgate: we have a TV this season, so just come out and hang out with your classmates! Stay outside with the food and drink if you are unable to find tickets for the game. Weather permitting, we’ll be showing the game!
Want to Volunteer? We could always use volunteers for food / menu planning / selection, heavy lifting (set up and shut down), etc., but – again – what’s most important is that you come.
Registration is not required – just really helpful! Registration helps us plan, but we always have stragglers and we always plan for stragglers. If there’s a chance that you’ll come, though, please register so that we can plan accordingly.
Donations: Just donate whatever you want, nothing, or in kind. What’s most important is that you join us! We’re bringing beer, wine, soft drinks, sparkling/regular water, coffee, tea, and a few odds and ends, so there’s no need to bring drinks along!
If there’s a chance you might come, please click here and register by Thursday night so that we can start buying food on Friday!
Beat SMU!
Ingar
Posted by Ingar Grev on 10/4/21
– Beat UCF 2021 Tailgater!
Posted: 9/28/2021
Click here to get all the gouge and register.
A few reminders:
You Don’t Need Tickets to Tailgate: we have a TV this season, so just come out and hang out with your classmates! Stay outside with the food and drink if you are unable to find tickets for the game
Want to Volunteer? We could always use volunteers for food / menu planning / selection, heavy lifting (set up and shut down), etc., but – again – what’s most important is that you come.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO REGISTER TO COME! It just helps us plan, but we always have stragglers and we always plan for stragglers. If there’s a chance that you’ll come, though, please register so that we can plan accordingly.
Donations: Just donate whatever you want, nothing, or in kind. What’s most important is that you join us! We’re bringing beer, wine, soft drinks, sparkling/regular water, coffee, tea, and a few odds and ends, so there’s no need to bring drinks along!
If there’s a chance you might come, please click here and register by Thursday night so that we can start buying food on Friday!
Beat UCF!
Ingar
Posted by Ingar Grev on 9/27/21
