Supe Sends: A Valedictory Daniel W. Christman Lieutenant General, United States Army

From: Superintendent, USMA Sent: Monday, April 16, 2001 To: Long Gray Line Subject: Supe Sends Dear Alumni and Friends, As I approach the final 60 days of my Superintendency, I wanted very much to share my last Assembly article with each of you.  For sure, this will be published in the next edition of the Assembly which will "hit the newsstands" in May.  But, recognizing that only 50 percent of our alumni subscribe to the Assembly, I asked the AOG if I could use this list server to be certain that I reach as many alumni as possible with my final note. Simply stated, I would like to thank each of you - for your support of our programs, for your passion for our cadets, and for your loyalty to this great Academy.  My article also stresses what has been increasingly obvious to me as these last five years have unfolded: to maintain this national treasure as our country's premier leader development institution for the next 100 years, each of us must grip hands through the years in a way which inspires future generations of cadets to follow in our footsteps. The nation must understand who we are, the cadets must sense our support, and our newest grads must feel "the thrill which your presence imparts." You are the key!  The future of the Academy is in your hands, and that future appears bright indeed. Your warmth and energy are unmatched.  Inspired in great part by what so many of you have contributed beyond self, Susan and I look forward to future opportunities to serve this great country and our magnificent Academy.  As always, Go Army! Dan Christman Dear Friends and Alumni, Five years ago, the honor of a lifetime was bestowed on me by the Army Chief of Staff, GEN Denny Reimer - - being named West Point's 55th Superintendent.  The intervening 60 months have flown by at warp speed, and I find myself, sadly, drafting the last article I shall write to you as the "Supe." Susan and I have been deeply grateful for the friendship and support extended to us over these years by our magnificent alumni; next to the camaraderie of the Corps of Cadets, this will be our most enduring memory.  Our Academy will thrive into this new century in great part because of support rendered by the Long Gray Line, and in this important dimension, the future is bright indeed! But the future is bright for the Academy almost across the board, and that is the central message I want to leave with each of you.  For sure, challenges exist, and the importance of a unified alumni corps in addressing those challenges will only increase.  However, the support from Department of the Army and the Congressional leadership, coupled with the unmatched support from alumni and friends literally around the world, has positioned your alma mater soundly for mission success into the next century.  We have been charged to produce "commissioned leaders of character, committed to the values of duty, honor, and country." We are producing such leaders; they are performing superbly, and West Point has its "eyes on the ball" in ensuring that future leaders for our Army and nation will come from the wonderful young men and women who comprise today's and tomorrow's Corps of Cadets. CHALLENGES Notwithstanding the optimistic outlook, key challenges remain.  I'm confident we are on the right track to address them, but we must remain vigilant and responsive to ever-changing realities in Washington and our Army.  Interestingly, several of these challenges are identical to those highlighted by Dave Palmer and Howard Graves in their final notes to each of you; we've worked them, but they will undoubtedly persist as issues confronting my successor, and HIS successor as well!!  Let me start with the most serious - - funding and facility revitalization: Funding and Facilities - - Dave Palmer presciently noted in 1991 that West Point "must overcome the ravages of a quarter century of deferred maintenance; we have serious problems with aged and decaying structures." Dave and Howard Graves started down the path to correct these problems.  They were diverted from that task, as was I early on, by devastating Army budget cuts for West Point which reflected the Army's own budgetary dilemmas of the middle 90's.  But we are "back in business" regarding facility renewal and modernization.  We need to stay that way.  And that is the challenge!  Facilities are being revitalized - and will continue to be revitalized - largely through federal funds.  If the Army's funding program for West Point in the out-years stays on track, we will be in decent shape.  My last days here, and the new Supe's early days, must be focused on the flow of funds from Washington - not just for facilities, but for programs and faculty salaries as well.  We will not remain a quality institution, competitive with peers, absent this support. Admission Outreach - - Despite all of our efforts to reach out to the American public (inviting reporters, camera crews, and educators, for example, to interact with our cadets), fewer and fewer Americans understand what opportunities West Point represents to the future of this great country.  This is an unfortunate demographic reality.  There is no "post-war" anti-military sentiment; just the opposite is true.  But getting the word out to American families and the young people in those families is an enormous challenge.  In many respects, we are running faster and faster just to stay in the same 'admissions" place: attracting about 10,000 every year to apply to West Point.  We need to do better, and again, our alumni can help enormously - by reinforcing the work of parents clubs, by broadening the scope of society activities to reach beyond "alumni," and by helping with local outreach efforts in close coordination with our admissions directorate.  We have always said that "the Corps starts" with the work of our admissions "team;" that team includes each of you! Intercollegiate Athletics - - West Point had been, inexorably, heading down the path to Division II status and, by default, to an abandonment of a proud athletic tradition.  Tired facilities, disappointing won-loss records (especially against service academy foes), and an internal business climate that was making it very difficult to support 25 varsity sports effectively, all combined to force us some years ago to relook our entire athletic program.  I strongly believe we have turned the corner, but this is still very much "work in progress." I have said to each of you many times over: we are not here solely to produce winning sports teams.  We ARE here to produce winning Army officers.  But athletics are a vital part of that mission, for reasons that I hope are apparent.  To maintain our momentum toward athletic rejuvenation, West Point needs the assistance from all of our friends.  We can't do it without you, and we can't do it on the cheap. West Point will do all it can to help our athletic director with resources from our "lane," here on the Hudson.  But please understand what enormous changes have taken place in collegiate sports and sports marketing in just the last ten years.  West Point CAN be competitive in this environment, and we CAN win -the right way.  However, it takes the combined and unified efforts of all of us to field winning teams and restore a winning tradition.  Our Army has a right to expect no less! AOG I mentioned at the outset the extraordinary support from our alumni over the years.  In so many ways, this has been the result of the inspired leadership of our "AOG Leader Team" during my stewardship here: General "Shy" Meyer, Mr. Jack Hammack, General Harry Griffith, Mr. Tom Dyer, and, of course, the President of the AOG throughout my five years as Superintendent, Colonel Seth Hudgins.  West Point has been blessed indeed to have these selfless servants in charge of the two goals originally envisioned for the Association of Graduates: to "perpetuate the friendships formed at the Academy," and to "promote the Academy's best interests." As we approach our 200th birthday next March, the AOG has been at the forefront in ensuring that West Point will be properly positioned for the 21st century challenges facing our cadets and our graduates. The Association has also understood very clearly that West Point must learn from the past, but not live there.  There is a wonderful new book by Dr. Spencer Johnson entitled, "Who Moved My Cheese?" One of the key pieces of advice rendered by Dr. Johnson, for leaders of any organization - AOG, USMA, Army, academe, business - is to "smell the cheese often, so you know when it's getting old." As a team, the AOG and USMA have "smelled the cheese" frequently these last five years.  We have sensed the times when the cheese was getting old, and, together, we adapted to change quickly in those areas where 21st century military operations and military education mandated such change.  For that close "AOG/USMA" teamwork and energy, I will be forever grateful! One final thought I believe is especially relevant as we approach the critical juncture of our bicentennial celebration.  I must be candid in telling each of you that it is not a law of nature that West Point will remain a national treasure for the next 100 years.  To ensure that West Point continues to contribute centrally to this nation's security and to our Army's leadership, West Point must adapt to the realities of the new strategic environment, while holding firmly to what must endure always: the core values of our profession, the honor code and system, the loyalty of our alumni, and the quality of our cadets, staff and faculty.  We will be respected as a national treasure for the next 100 years only with the strong support from each of you - for our cadets, for our programs, and for each other.  West Point alumni are recognized as amongst the most passionate and energetic in the nation.  You have earned the recognition, and I hope sincerely that you will direct that passion and energy on behalf of the next generation of cadets, who will follow in your footsteps in the tradition of Duty, Honor, Country. It's been an indescribable ride, as temporary steward of this historic Academy.  Turning over the keys to Taylor Hall and Q100 will be deeply emotional.  I have always been, and shall continue to be, inspired by the words of "The Corps," and its link to those who have "pointed the way" - each of you!  I extend, again, my very deepest appreciation and thanks for all that you have done for our cadets, our graduates, and for this magnificent Academy. Go Army!!

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