America 250: 200+ Years of Service Inside Norwich University

Video title: America 250: 200+ Years of Service | Inside Norwich University

[Orchestral background music plays continuously throughout video; ceremonial bugle call at 00:01:26]

[00:00:00] Norwich University's greatest achievement is the foundation of a new model of education at a critical time in this nation's history. In 1819, Captain Alden Partridge founded Norwich with a model that continues to resonate throughout American education today.

[00:00:40] In 1819, as America was still shaping its identity, Norwich University was founded on a revolutionary idea that education should prepare citizens for both civilian leadership and national service. In the decades that followed, that idea began to influence a broader shift in American education, one that combined academic learning with practical skills, discipline, and a growing sense of civic responsibility, helping to shape how future generations would prepare to contribute to society.

[00:01:14] But as the nation grew more complex, so did the demands on its people, raising a deeper challenge. How do you prepare individuals not just to lead, but to serve? [Bugle call sounds]

[00:01:28] [On-screen title: LtGen John Broadmeadow, USMC (Ret) | 25th President, Norwich University] I'm Lieutenant General John Broadmeadow, United States Marine Corps, retired. I'm the 25th president of Norwich University. The one word I'd use to describe what Norwich is all about is service.

[00:01:47] What we impart on our students here is that you give of yourself to this nation, that you serve in a variety of ways. Norwich University's mission is...

[00:02:28] [On-screen title: BG Mark Denton | Commandant of the Corps of Cadets, Vice President of Student Affairs] My name is Brigadier General Mark Denton. I am the Commandant of the Corps of Cadets at Norwich University and the Vice President of Student Affairs. The Corps of Cadets teaches you discipline. It's a structured environment that allows you to learn and grow. I think the Corps of Cadets is the ideal model for being able to create leaders of character who have to develop ethical decision making on a daily basis. It is a leadership farm where you go to train, grow, and become the person that you want to be or the person that you have the potential to be.

[00:03:06] [On-screen title: Dr. Lea Williams | Provost & Dean of Faculty] I'm Dr. Lea Williams, I'm Provost and the Dean of the Faculty at Norwich University. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Many of them come thinking it's going to be the military, and it might be, but for others, they’ll realize that they can still make that difference, have a huge impact by bringing what they learn academically to their communities to try to make them better places. Norwich is dual path. Having civilians and also having the military co-exist in the same environment. I think it's a microcosm of what we will see in society when they leave here.

[00:03:55] All our teams, all our sports, all our classrooms. You have civilians and military that sit side by side, shoulder to shoulder and they're going through the same thing. So from the time that they arrive, whether you are a military or you're a civilian student, the expectation is the same is that we create an individual that can be a positive, contributing member of society. When Alden Partridge founded the school, the idea of a citizen-soldier was very easy to comprehend. West Point was beginning to teach a professionalized military, and there was a lot of debate about which way should we go? Should we have a professional soldier corps or should we be teaching a broad array of citizens? Partridge's idea was everybody should be educated, not only in those things that are traditional to a university, but also in defending this nation as members of the militia. And we see that evolve through ROTC, that reserve officers educated at Norwich teach a variety of people to serve our nation in the military, but then go on to do things in civilian professions as well.

[00:05:08] So we have several areas of excellence. We're recognized particularly in the realm of cybersecurity, but we also have very strong programs in nursing. But we also prepare many students to go into law enforcement. Criminal justice is one of our largest programs of study, and we were the first institution to offer civil engineering.

[00:05:34] I would say that a lot of places are talking about doing experiential learning, leadership development, but it really is in our DNA. We've never lost track of that. We've always adhered to the founding values of the institution, so we stay true to those. We know who we are. We know why we exist. That is to serve the nation. To produce military officers and civilians who want to make a contribution to better their communities. It has stood us well for over 200 years, and that's what we stay faithful to.

[00:06:05] I think it's challenging for today's youth to be able to grow up in today's environment. That's why I think that today, more than ever, you need individuals that have high character. That individual that wants to help their neighbor, and that's American in character. Individuals that are tested in pressurized situations. And so, what it teaches you is it teaches you selfless service.

[00:06:33] The thing that makes me most proud to work at Norwich are our students. When I came here, I was really struck by how earnest they are and how they very much desire to make a difference. And that's something that I truly admire, especially in an era when cynicism and sarcasm can kind of carry the day. Not to say they can't, you know, exhibit those things too, but they profoundly, at their core, are here because they're willing to do something that is really different and challenging, and clearly they're striving to make a difference. They're searching for that. And I'm very proud that we can be part of that process for them.

[00:07:11] Norwich means a lot to me in a variety of ways, both as a graduate but also as its president. As I look and I see young Americans today embrace those ideals that Norwich was founded on, those values that we expect our students to go out into the world with and to lead with honor and integrity and ensure that they are ready to serve. Understanding the responsibilities of a citizen of this free republic.