Special Programs and Events
The Stockdale Center is proud to host several recurring special events around the yard, For example; the Volgenau Honor Courage and Commitment Luncheon brings thought leaders from the private sector into contact with invited faculty, staff and midshipmen, who can profit from their experiences in leadership. The Lawrence Ethics Essay Award is presented each year at another special event, the Ethics Essay Award dinner. Each semester, the Stockdale Center organizes a competition to select the outstanding ethics essay written in the Academy's core ethics course for third class midshipmen, NE203, Ethics and Moral Reasoning for the Naval Leader. We give the 4-6 finalists' papers (usually 8-10 pages in length) to outside readers to review, asking them to provide a rank-order and brief comments. The rankings determine a winner for each academic term. The winner and all the finalist are honored at a dinner funded by the Class of 1981.
The Center also regularly offers experiential opportunities for staff and faculty, that better enables them to understand the Naval and Marine Corps environment that midshipmen will be entering upon graduation from the Academy.
The Fellowship program periodically hosts visits by thought leaders in military ethics and leadership circles, allowing them to share expertise with faculty, and midshipmen.
In addition, the Center hosts and coordinates visits to the Gettysburg National park for staff rides and leadership retreats, for faculty, coaches and midshipmen leadership.
The Military Ethics Case Competition brings teams of cadets and midshipmen from sister service academies together each Spring presenting challenging cases pulled from recent events, aimed at honing ethical and presentation skills so vital in the service.
The Center also hosts visits by selected students from the National Sea Cadet program each year.
The Center hosted the premier of the Smithsonian Channel documentary, "The Spy in the Hanoi Hilton" which detailed the recently declassified story of Admiral Stockdale's espionage and counterintelligence efforts while a prisoner in the notorious Hao Lo prison during the Vietnam war.
