A Proven Educational Model for Boys That Delivers: Remaining True to Our Mission, 2025

By MMA President Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret)

Considering the recent July 14, 2025, Supreme Court ruling that shifts responsibility for academic outcomes to the state level, I want to take a moment to emphasize the major tenets of Missouri Military Academy’s military educational model. 

Our mission and military educational model have remained steadfast and stood the test of time since 1889. Empowering young men to reach their full potential, we have consistently delivered measurable outcomes and life-changing results through a proven model emphasizing structure, discipline, personal responsibility and accountability. 

We teach our cadets how to establish goals and take command of their personal lives and futures. Specified learning outcomes, inside and outside the classroom, support our high expectations for each cadet and our emphasis on resilience, perseverance and building self-confidence.  

MMA cadets are held to high academic standards, supported to achieve their full potential, and required to earn advancement to the next grade. Cadets who graduate from MMA have truly earned it. We continue to require standardized testing for our cadets, seeking continuous academic improvement. Our cadets graduate with clear evidence of a strong academic foundation, ready for future academic and career challenges. 

Our academic rigor is only one of the many advantages of our military and 360° Education model. While we can’t prepare our young people for every scenario, we can and do teach them to build positive relationships and to handle life’s challenges, disappointments and opportunities with confidence. Preparing young men to lead and live by example, MMA’s educational model has stood the test of time for a reason. It works and our cadets thrive. 

Why? Because education at MMA is about much more than academic preparation. 

Increasingly, universities across the U.S. are finding it necessary to add courses to help their students learn how to be adults. In these adulting classes and workshops, students often learn practical skills, such as how to change a tire or prepare their taxes. I believe, however, what young people truly seek is less tangible — and far more critical. They seek the confidence that they can solve problems, stand on their own two feet and manage their own lives.  

Consider the Communication Fundamentals for College Success course offered at DePaul University. The course teaches students how to ask for help, utilize university resources, engage in class discussions with peers and professors and learn academic software. Course content also includes behaviors such as personal awareness, a growth mindset and goal setting – exactly what we teach at MMA.  

At MMA, these skills and behaviors aren’t offered as a special, elective course. They are built into the very foundation of what we do – how our cadets learn, live and grow together every day.  

We will continue to stand firm in our mission and educational standards at Missouri Military Academy. Our cadets are not only gaining knowledge — they are also growing socially, building character and developing the capacity to lead with integrity. That is the MMA promise.  

In partnership with our parents, with the vital support of our alumni and others who believe in and support our mission, we are shaping young men who are truly prepared to take command of their lives.