Enclosure (9) to COMDTINST 5354.6A
USCG ACADEMY'S AND HBCU'S RELATIONSHIP
1.
The CGRIT program is an innovative strategy to increase the diversity of the Coast Guard
officer corps. The Coast Guard encourages its representatives (Headquarters, Recruiting
Center, and the Academy) and HBCU and NAFEO officials to develop a cooperative spirit in
which the respective HBCUs and the Academy can freely discuss issues and develop and
establish strategies that are in the CGRIT students' and the Service's best interest (e.g., faculty
exchanges, cultural and climate issues, validation and student placement, student advisement,
dual majors, etc.) and consistent with the Coast Guard Academy's mission:
To graduate young men and women
with sound bodies, stout hearts, and alert minds,
with a liking for the sea and its lore,
with that high sense of honor, loyalty, and obedience
which goes with trained initiative and leadership;
well grounded in seamanship, the sciences, and the amenities,
and strong in the resolve to be worthy
of the traditions of commissioned officers
in the United States Coast Guard
in the service of the country and humanity.
2.
Like other federal military academies, the Coast Guard Academy operates an integrated four-
year officer preparation program with a single entry point. It has no means to accept transfer
students with advanced military or academic standing. All cadets must complete the full four-
year military education and training program, regardless of their previous background and
experience. The tightly organized overall activity schedule assumes all cadets in the same year
group progress through the academic, military, and physical education programs together. The
Academy's small size and rigorously sequential nature of its programs make it virtually
impossible for it to accommodate out-of-phase cadets.
3.
About 10 percent of the cadets in each year's entering class already have completed some
previous college work. So they needn't take courses in subjects they have mastered already,
the Academy has adopted a "validation" system. During "Swab Summer" the Academy
operates an elaborate placement and evaluation system to assess each new cadet's preparation
and determines the appropriate level and selection of courses. Those who have completed
work equivalent to specific courses in the Academy's curriculum then have the opportunity to
validate these courses and replace them with free electives. The Academy does not assign
grades or academic credits to the validated courses, but simply lists them on the official
transcript as requirements fulfilled.
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