McKay selected as Cadet Colonel for 2001-02

Silva to assume position of executive officer for the Corps of Cadets

By Joshua Turman
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Commandant of Cadets Colonel Leonard Doscinski gives the outgoing Cadet Colonel David Cedarleaf the Norwich flag during the Promotion Parade in the Shapiro Fieldhouse April 13. (Braden photo)

With speeches and the boom of artillery from the Norwich Independent Battery, a new cadet colonel was selected at the Corps of Cadets promotion parade on Friday, April 13.

Scott McKay, 20, a chemistry major from Laplata, Md. was selected as the new regimental commander for the Corps of Cadets.

McKay, speaking at the promotion parade, said that "leadership is action, not position."

Outgoing Cadet Col. David Cedarleaf, 22, a political science major from Fairport, N.Y., agreed and is preparing McKay for his new job next year, telling him to "never lose faith in yourself or the Corps, for both will be tested.

"You can do things until you're blue in the face, and there is always going to be opposition to it," Cedarleaf said. "You need to realize that you're doing a job; you're doing a service to the university and the Corps of Cadets. You're establishing rules; you're setting standards. There is a microscope on you, and you need to live by the words 'lead by the front.'"

Cedarleaf's main goal for this past school year was greater accountability. "Accountability for leaders, your subordinate commanders and those who are serving beneath you, (means) holding them accountable for the tasks and the jobs that they have to do," Cedarleaf said. "Demanding the best from them and at the same time giving them your best."

McKay wants to continue the emphasis on accountability this year, as well.

"The main thing that I see is holding people accountable for their actions, especially battalion commanders, company commanders; holding the chain of command responsible for what their people do," McKay said. "Raise the standards by holding people accountable for what happens.

"'Leadership is action, not position' goes in hand with accountability," McKay emphasized. "Leadership is how you conduct yourself at all times."

McKay said that it doesn't matter "what position you're in. It's how you conduct yourself, what actions you take when you're doing it, if it's in regular life, on a sports team or in the corps."

Cedarleaf attaches the epaulette of cadet colonel on Scott McKay, the newly-selected regimental commander for the Corps of Cadets. (Braden photo)

McKay knew what the job of cadet colonel required of him, because he worked many times with Cedarleaf.

As a freshman, McKay wasn't planning to take rank in the corps. But he was influenced by people such as his cadre, who helped him through hard times and were always there to help him; that changed his mind about seeking rank in the corps.

"I want to try to give a positive leadership example and also try to get morale back up and try to bring the corps back together," McKay said, adding that he also hopes to have events such as regimental dining outs to try to get the corps back together.

Commandant of Cadets Col. Leonard Doscinski said that many things determine who will become the new cadet colonel, mentioning that primary on the list is academic grades. The candidates for cadet colonel must have a solid academic background, because the job is very demanding.

"We'll pick someone who is a leader; who doesn't have a history of disciplinary problems; who is respected by the corps; and who can have a positive influence on the corps," Doscinski said.

Cedarleaf also helped in the selection of possible candidates for the new cadet colonel this year.

"I'm able to talk directly to the commandant and give him my advice and what I see through the Corps of Cadets," Cedarleaf explained, adding that he looks for the cadet "who I see is most qualified, and who I see is lacking in some areas."

Cedarleaf and Doscinski both said that the corps has a lot of say in the selection process of officers and the cadet colonel. Doscinski said that the commandant's office takes the leader recommendations very seriously.

Cadets who wish to be considered for the position of cadet colonel must first send in a form to the commandant's office known as a "dream sheet" where they indicate what rank they want for the next school year. The form also lists what activities they have participated in and what positions they have held during their time here at the university.

Recommendations are also made from faculty, students and cadet leaders.

Then an Order of Merit List (OML) is created. "The OML is created from peer recommendations, from students, cadet leader recommendations from the cadets, and the GPA of students themselves," said Maj. Helen Bryan, adjutant in the commandant's office and head of cadet records.

The OML consists of total scores from different categories, such as GPA, cadet leader recommendations, and peer recommendations, which are then combined to create a total score for the candidate. Each category is worth a maximum of 100 points. For example, a 4.0 GPA equals 100 points for that category.

"The OML is really created by the cadets, by their recommendations and by their academic achievements," Bryan said, adding that the OML is put on a spreadsheet and is calculated. Those who are on the top of the merit list get "promotion boards," which consist of a committee made up of faculty, members of the corps, representatives from the commandant's office, ROTC, and the athletic department.

Norwich President Richard Schneider congratulates McKay on his new position (Braden photo)

The promotion board interviews four or five people for position of cadet colonel and spends about 15 minutes with each candidate. After each member of the board gives recommendations for those individuals, Bryan compiles all the data on the candidates, and the top scorers are interviewed by the president of the university. The president ultimately decides who will be the new cadet colonel.

In addition to the new cadet colonel, the person filling the position of second in command, the regimental executive officer, is also selected.

Celina Silva, 21, from Grand Prairie, Tex., a double major in criminal justice and English, was selected as next year's regimental executive officer.

Silva said she wanted the position because she wants to help the cadet rank structure run more smoothly.

"I wanted to be able to work with the staff sections to make sure that their job can get done and also work with the battalion commanders on how things work within staff section," Silva said. "I thought I could bring that to the job. I could be a positive link between the two so that everyone is on the same page and things will work smoothly."

Kevin M. Whilden, 21, a civil engineering major from Tamaqua, Penn., is the outgoing regimental executive officer. He said Silva was very qualified for the job, because she has worked with the staff for several years and is "a very organized person and the (executive officer) has a lot of paperwork involved in the position."

His advice to Silva is to stay organized and "quickly establish your position, and don't be timid.

"They have the hardest job on the hill; the executive officer is juggling more balls than anybody else in the entire corps," Whilden said. "Underneath them, they have five S-sections, PAO, recruiting, and IG, and also they have to make sure that the battalion commanders are carrying out their basic plans."

Whilden also said McKay was a wise choice for cadet colonel.

"He has worked very closely with the cadet colonel along with his peers in the junior class," Whilden said. "He is a very honest and fair individual, very academically able. His ROTC commitment is also impressive. He is a very well-rounded cadet."

Whilden said that McKay is the most qualified for the job, because he has the most experience for the position.

Silva and McKay have many goals for next year, such as having higher standards for upperclassmen.

"I think the goals that we are starting to work on are plausible and next year we will see a different corps and a better one," Silva said.

McKay said that he is looking forward to next year, and hopes "for the support of everybody, so we can make next year a good year."

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