STOCKDALE CENTER FOR ETHICAL LEADERSHIP
NUMBER OF DONORS: 3,490
TOTAL DOLLARS RAISED: $22,712,270
Today’s world demands leaders who can think through complex issues and respond decisively and ethically. It demands men and women prepared to lead in a dynamic and diverse geopolitical environment. It demands the engagement of individuals committed to the free and open exchange of ideas. The Stockdale Center’s research, education, publications, programs and other innovations have a far-reaching impact on the Brigade of Midshipmen; Academy faculty, staff and coaches; and leaders in the naval service.
KEY AREAS OF STOCKDALE CENTER IMPACT INCLUDE:
• RESEARCH PROGRAM—The Stockdale Center’s unique research program annually assembles Center staff, Resident Fellows from academia, USNA faculty and advanced midshipmen—through a two-semester seminar—to examine a timely ethics topic relevant to military operations. The program:
○ supported more than 50 speaking and teaching engagements by the Center’s Research Director
○ generated more than 160 publications
• INFLUENCE THE INFLUENCER PROGRAM—The Influence the Influencer initiative strengthens leadership competencies and confidence of USNA faculty, coaches and staff as they lead, teach, coach and develop the Brigade. This initiative offers a variety of inspirational leadership opportunities including:
○ GALLUP ACCESS: A customized survey platform built upon the valued and renowned Gallup Q12. It optimizes key influencer engagement and provides relevant steps to maximize team performance. More than 30 departments and nearly 800 key influencers have been impacted by this survey since 2019.
○ STOCKDALE ASSOCIATE FELLOW PROGRAM: An internal leadership development program tailored to USNA key influencers combining online content, guest speakers, experiential opportunities and cohort special projects. Thus far, 50 key influencers have participated in the program, representing every cost center at the Naval Academy.
• BOEING LEADERSHIP INNOVATION LABORATORY—The Boeing Leadership Innovation Laboratory targets products that affect each one of the class year groups.
• Stockdale Interactive is an augmented reality-based tool featuring six ethical dilemma scenarios that provide immersive experience with decision making at sea, interrogation and torture, and allyship, diversity and inclusion, to name a few.
• The Stockdale Minute is a series of podcasts that tackle leadership, character and ethics issues that impact the day-to-day lives of midshipmen and point to future situations they will face upon graduation.
• McCAIN CONFERENCE—The nation’s premier military ethics event, the annual McCain Conference is attended by faculty from all U.S. service academies, war colleges, leaders from civilian universities, think tanks, industry and government and by midshipmen. Since the last campaign, the conference has brought the expertise of 162 speakers to more than 900 attendees on critical issues, including “Warfare in a New Domain: The Ethics of Military Cyber Operations,” “The State and Future of Civil-Military Relations” and “The Ethics of Future Conflict Scenarios.”
• DISTINGUISHED CHAIR OF LEADERSHIP—The Distinguished Chair of Leadership engages almost every member of the Brigade of Midshipmen in a four-year period, beginning with Plebe Year Leadership classes and culminating in the MIDN 1/C Capstone Leadership Development Seminar. This work is enhanced by supporting the Gettysburg Leadership Encounter providing personal insights to every team captain and both sets of Brigade leaders, from Brigade Commander to Company Commanders. Additionally, the Leadership Chair has worked with the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the men’s basketball team, the sprint football team and the men’s rugby club to enhance selfless servant leadership and winning cultures with coaches and players.
• USNA ETHICS DEBATE TEAM—As members of the USNA Ethics Debate Team, midshipmen hone their team building and leadership abilities, as well as critical thinking skills with regard to complex cases in applied ethics, drawn from public policy, medical, business, technology, engineering and military operations. More than 50 midshipmen have participated in the national and international travel associated with these debates during the Campaign.
• DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION INITIATIVES—The Stockdale Center has developed programming to augment USNA’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) initiatives to include an 18-minute video entitled “Conversations in Conscientious Leadership” which has been used to develop the abilities of more than 85 Naval Academy Athletic Association coaches and staff members, 45 representatives at the Naval Academy Foundation and 80 Midshipman Diversity Peer Educators. Stockdale Center leaders are now finishing up an interactive D&I video project that allows midshipmen to explore the negative consequences of unaddressed racial problems at USNA and in the fleet.
“With the mission of the Naval Academy being to develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically, we feel the focus on moral development is most important. We have supported the Fellows Program at the Center because of the research and publications that enhance the curriculum at the Academy. The interaction the fellows have with midshipmen leads to practical application of addressing ethics issues.” - Don ’60 and Beverly Freeman