On January 24, WPAOG hosted the 20th Class Ring Memorial Program event, informally known as the “Ring Melt,” in West Point’s Haig Room. West Point cadets, graduates, and families of ring donors gathered as 41 West Point class rings, each with its own story and its own spirit, were placed in the crucible to be melted and used in the making of the Class of 2021’s rings. Full story. Photos. Video.

Learn more about West Point’s newest academic majors: Space Science and Applied Statistics & Data Science. Space has always been a part of West Point, with 21 USMA graduates going on to become astronauts and others going on to work for NASA. But with the new Space Science major, cadets in the program will take space-specific classes along with physics, electrical engineering, geography and environmental engineering courses. Plus, see full coverage of this year’s Thayer and Nininger Award winners, Army-Navy weekend, the SPEAR project, and a tsunami at West Point? Just can’t wait? Get a head start with the digital edition!

Please join us in congratulating WPAOG’s 2020 Distinguished Graduate Award recipients. The Award is given to graduates of the United States Military Academy whose character, distinguished service and stature draw wholesome comparison to the qualities that West Point strives for, in keeping with its motto “Duty, Honor, Country.” The DGA award ceremony will take place on May 19 at West Point.

Mr. Richard A. Nowak ’64
Mr. William H. Roedy Jr. ’70
LTC (R) Andrew F. Krepinevich ’72
LTG (R) Kenneth W. Hunzeker ’75
GEN (R) Curtis M. Scaparrotti ’78

An academic open house on January 22 gave plebes the chance to learn more about each major before signing up. Before being set loose to explore each of the majors, the class attended a briefing with Deputy Registrar COL(R) Russ Lachance ’85 who worked to debunk myths about choosing a major. First and foremost, there was the myth that majors are first come, first served and plebes need to rush to sign up. Instead, he encouraged plebes to check out the various majors, take their time and find something they have a passion for before choosing. If there are limited spots, they will be filled based on order of merit not on who signed up first, he said. Full story.

Thank you to everyone who made a gift of $1,000 or more to the West Point Parents Fund in 2019, you are now a member of the 2020 Superintendent’s Circle. Parents in the Superintendent’s Circle are invited to save the date for these special events in 2020: Projects Day (April 30), Superintendent’s Circle Weekend (October 16 – 18) and Superintendent’s Circle Special Parent/Cadet Reception during Family Weekend (October 23-25). The Superintendent’s Circle benefits have been elevated for 2021. To learn more about WPAOG’s Recognition Circles and Superintendent’s Circle benefits, click here. If you have any questions, contact Parent Relations at 845.446.1535 or parentrelations@wpaog.org.

The West Point Cyber Policy Team won both first and second place out of 19 teams competing in the Atlantic Council’s Cyber 9/12 Student Strategy Challenge at the University of Texas at Austin Law School January 16-17. Representing six different academic departments—electrical engineering and computer science, social sciences, foreign languages, law, military instruction and math—cadets participated in this cyber policy and strategy-focused competition where they were presented with a scenario involving a cyberattack on critical infrastructure. Full story.

Start 2020 off the right way - in the best styles from Vineyard Vines. Our Cadet Whale and EDSFTG Tee are now available in both adult and youth sizes. Fun for the whole family! Shop our entire line of exclusive Vineyard Vines items and much more today at WPAOGGiftShop.com, or call in your order to 1.800.426.4725.

WPAOG won five 2020 CASE District II Accolades Awards: two golds, a silver, a bronze and an honorable mention. CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, is the premier global non-profit association dedicated to educational advancement. The Accolades Awards celebrate institutional accomplishments in alumni relations, development, communications, events, and program development. WPAOG received the following awards:
SPECIAL EVENTS: INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
GOLD: Ring Melt – Tangible Connection Between Cadets and West Point Graduates
VIDEO FEATURES: GENERAL INFORMATION VIDEOS
GOLD: Celebrating 150 Years of West Point AOG in Three Minutes
HONORABLE MENTION: Telling the Story of the West Point Ring Melt
SPECIAL EVENTS: EVENT SERIES
SILVER: 150 Years of Serving West Point and the Long Gray Line
ALUMNI RELATIONS EVENTS AND AFFINITY PROGRAMS
BRONZE: West Point Entrepreneur Summit: Exploring Professional Service after Selfless Service

Now that our 150th Anniversary celebration year has ended, we’ve moved the popular On This Day timeline to our online History Portal. We’ve also updated the AOG History page to include the West Point magazine four-part series of articles written in 2019. We continue to honor our past as we prepare for the future of the Long Gray Line.

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Reserve your space in the Fall 2020 West Point Authors Bookshelf, a specially-priced advertising section in West Point magazine showcasing books by West Point affiliated authors. Check out the latest West Point Bookshelf in the Winter 2020 issue to discover and support these books. Learn more about this and other WPAOG advertising and sponsorship opportunities.