United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

File:U.S. Military Academy Coat of Arms.svg
Motto	Duty • Honor • Country
Type	U.S. Service Academy
Established	16 March 1802
Superintendent	LTG Darryl A. Williams USMA Class of 1983
Dean	BG Cindy Jebb USMA Class of 1982
Commandant	BG Steven Gilland USMA Class of 1990
Academic staff	580
Students	4,294 cadets
Location	West Point , New York , U.S.
Campus	Rural – 16,080 acres (6,507.3 ha)
Fight song	On Brave Old Army Team
Colors	Black and Gold
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – PL The American, AHA, CSFL, EIGL, EIWA
Mascot	Mule
Website	westpoint.edu
200px
United States Military Academy
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Coordinates:	41°23′35″N 73°57′29″W
NRHP Reference#:	66000562
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	1966
Designated NHL:	19 December 1960

The United States Military Academy at West Point (also known as West Point, USMA, Army (athletic teams)) is a university that teaches students to become officers in the US Army. Students are called "cadets" and are subject to military rules while studying subjects like engineering and military science for four years. For many years, West Point only taught men, but in 1976 West Point admitted its first female cadets. Women currently comprise approximately 15% of entering new cadets.

Military officers compose 75% of the faculty. Civilian professors make up the remaining 25% of faculty positions.

Congress formally authorized and funded West Point on 16 March 1802. West Point was so successful, that military academies were added later for the Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force.

West Point was originally a Fort. The Continental Army used it to guard the Hudson River. General Benedict Arnold tried to betray it.

Sports

West Point has a very broad sports program. All of its students are required to compete in at least one sport, either at the intramural (i.e., within the school) or intercollegiate (i.e., against other schools) level, in every semester.

The Army intercollegiate sports teams are nicknamed "Black Knights". Most Army teams play in the Patriot League. The football team plays at the highest level, known as Division I FBS, in the American Athletic Conference. The men's ice hockey team plays in Atlantic Hockey America.

United States Military Academy Media

• Plan des forts, batteries et poste de West-Point, 1780 (2674338525) (cropped).jpg

  French map of West Point in 1780

• The American Soldier 1805.jpg

  Artillery cadet in 1805, wearing a mixture of commissioned and non-commissioned uniforms prescribed for artillery cadets

• Thayer Statue at West Point.JPG

  Monument to Superintendent Thayer

• West Point, from Phillipstown, 1831.jpg

  West Point, from Phillipstown (1831) engraving by W. J. Bennett showing the original buildings of the United States Military Academy

• Robert Edward Lee.jpg

  Robert E. Lee, American Civil War general who graduated from West Point in 1829, and served as its superintendent from 1852 to 1855

• C. Benck, West Point Cadet (right).jpg

  West Point Cadet C. Benek by Mathew Brady

• The USMA Corps in mid 1800s.jpg

  Corps of Cadets c. 1870

• United States Military Academy uniform in 1882 art, from- Uniform of the army of the United States, 1882 (page 13 crop) (cropped).jpg

  United States Military Academy uniform in 1882

• Haldane a West Point.jpg

  U.K. secretary for war Richard Haldane, author of the Haldane Reforms of the British military, at West Point sometime before World War I

Other websites

• The Academy's official site
• Army Black Knights official site Archived 2009-02-05 at the Wayback Machine