The U.S. military-service academies--at West Point (Army), Annapolis (Navy), Colorado Springs (Air Force), and New London (Coast Guard)--are at the center of several debates, both military and civilian. The military is downsizing, and the federal budget is under scrutiny: Do the academies deserve to continue if they are not producing better…

Tossing mortarboards at commencement is all fun and games until somebody gets her head sliced open. This article describes the harrowing experiences of Trudy Kuehner, a graduating senior at Sterling Regional High School 31 years ago, and another 17-year-old graduate who were both injured by a mortarboard. Such injuries are the exception, though,…

The nation's military-service academies could be stripped of one of their chief tools for bringing in black, Hispanic, and American Indian students as a result of regulatory changes being considered by the Department of Defense, officials of the U.S. Air Force Academy said last week. The proposed change in the department's directives to its…

A federal appeals court has ruled that there are legitimate reasons a state can operate a single-sex college, provided appropriate programs exist for men and women. Virginia Military Institute provides "adversative" education, grueling physical training without privacy, that would suffer if women were admitted. A proposed separate…

A highly divided federal appeals court has ordered that South Carolina allow a woman to enter the Citadel, an all-male military college, unless it establishes a comparable program for women or allows the Citadel to become a private institution. Litigation arose over the Citadel's rejection of a woman applicant. (MSE)

The Clinton administration has asked the Supreme Court to force Virginia Military Institute, currently all male, to admit women rather than have the state create a similar leadership program for women at another institution. The case parallels litigation in South Carolina involving the Citadel. (MSE)

The Citadel, a state institution, has attempted to push for a broad-based education in languages, history, and literature while maintaining its 145-year-old tradition of military discipline and training. An incident with a black cadet has brought on a barrage of public criticism. (MLW)