Why a military school education for boys matters today more than ever

A Message from MMA President Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret)

Today, all of us are affected by unrest and uncertainty. The state of the world and our nation leaves me more convinced than ever that the education and experience we provide to young men at Missouri Military Academy deeply matters.

Collective confusion and fear weigh upon the world as we work to understand and implement constantly changing guidance about the pandemic. Social injustice and lawlessness have created unrest, while people everywhere struggle with the decline of civil discourse, the rise of questionable social media commentary without context, and the veracity of information presented by the media.
 
The current environment with rampant relativism — the notion that individuals or groups are able to create and follow their own ethics and moral standards of right or wrong — is counter to what we teach and practice at MMA. The discord, conflict and strife caused by relativism, witnessed in our country and around the world, clearly underscores the need for and value of our traditional military educational model in the lives of today’s young men.

With our strong core values (see below), 360° Education and demonstrated success achieved by our corps of cadets, MMA is receiving a significant amount of increased interest. Families see a lack of support and stability in other options for their sons, and they look to MMA for an honest, transparent, and predictable partner in the education of their sons. We deliver on our value proposition and learning outcomes for the corps of cadets with unwavering consistency. Scroll down for list of learning outcomes.

Now more than ever, who we are as a military academy — our history, core values, motto and mission —lights the way and provides the foundation and direction for our cadets’ bright futures. Our curriculum, co-curricular and extracurricular activities teach cadets how to think, not what to think, by providing a broad liberal arts education underpinned by leader and character development programs.

Our military educational model is merit-based with emphasis on personal accountability and the utmost respect for each other. As cadets learn to take command of their futures, they graduate from MMA prepared to think for themselves, ask the right questions and respect all people. They are equipped to deal with complexity, diversity, adversity, and change as productive citizens and future community leaders.
 
We will continue to emphasize and reinforce who we are and what we stand for every day. Our message and actions will be a constant drum beat of purpose, perseverance, hope, equity, inclusion, and resolve!
 
When we identify problems or they are brought to our attention, we will fix them. We will continue to be transparent and honest with each other, our cadets, families, and alumni. We cannot waiver from our commitment to our core values, our cadets and each other. 

MMA Core Values 

• Academic Excellence. Providing a world-class education that prepares our cadets for college entrance and graduation from the nation’s finest four-year colleges and universities.
• Duty. Performing one’s obligations, tasks, service or functions that emanates from their position or station in either life or a group.
• Honor. To exercise and maintain fairness, integrity and honesty in one’s beliefs and actions.
• Integrity. A firm devotion to moral and ethical principles and soundness of character in all our affairs.
• Leadership. Simply put, one’s ability to influence others in a positive manner to accomplish an assigned task.  
• Loyalty. To one’s family, friends, teammates, institution and nation.
• Personal Courage. To choose the harder right over the easier wrong.
• Respect. To render appropriate deferential regard and esteem to family and friends, teammates and competitors, peers and leaders, institutions and one’s country.
• Selfless Service. Service to each other, our families, the Academy, community and nation.

MMA Corps of Cadets Learning Outcomes

As cadets work toward graduation, they are expected to make progress and achieve proficiency in the following areas:

• Know and live by MMA standards of conduct and personal appearance
• Demonstrate self-control, self-direction, and personal accountability
• Adhere to the Honor Code, displaying ethical and moral behavior
• Become a productive and supportive team member and a patriotic citizen
• Become culturally aware, display respect and consideration for others, and embrace appreciation for diversity
• Develop excellent time management skills, a positive work ethic, and an eye for attention to detail
• Demonstrate respect for authority, display military bearing and social etiquette
• Demonstrate positive character development and personal integrity
• Successfully live in a shared community environment and develop healthy lifestyle and habits
• Make smart choices and avoid high risk behavior
• Demonstrate knowledge of MMA customs and traditions
• Become a positive leader and role model with an understanding of authority, responsibility, and accountability