<p>Annapolis’ good fortune in being home to the Naval Academy goes beyond the prestige of having a world-class educational institution here. The presence of midshipmen in uniform on city streets, in itself, generates a sense of patriotic pride.</p>
<p>But we may be seeing fewer of those immaculate uniforms because of changes introduced by the academy’s new superintendent, Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler. This may be disappointing to the community and will strike at freedoms mids have enjoyed for years. But Adm. Fowler’s reforms should make for better officers.</p>
<p>There will be more mandatory meals on campus - so local restaurants and pizza deliverers will lose business. There will be fewer liberties - so sponsors will see their midshipmen less. There will be fewer opportunities for midshipmen to work on community projects - so organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the city’s GreenScape project may lose volunteers.
Adm. Fowler’s intention is to focus on the core mission of the academy. Singing in the Glee Club or helping build homes may make midshipmen better-rounded individuals - but not necessarily better Navy or Marine Corps officers.</p>
<p>The superintendent concluded that the time for community projects and extracurricular activities was coming out of officer training. Annapolitans, like all the other U.S. taxpayers footing the bill for the mids’ education, presumably agree that the academy’s top priority is turning out superbly qualified officers.</p>
<p>Adm. Fowler argues persuasively that the academy can’t be compared to a college campus. Typical college students are responsible to the country only to the extent that every American citizen is. Perhaps they can choose to waste their money - or their parents’ money - by spending more time in a bar than in a classroom. No such choice can be offered to future officers attending an exclusive school at great expense to the tax-payers.</p>
<p>Of course, the academy starts with an unusually dedicated group of young people. The school picks from the best and brightest, from applicants who excel in athletics and scholastic achievement. The academy has only four years to take all this raw potential and mold officers - which leaves no time to squander.</p>
<p>Only time will tell whether Adm. Fowler’s changes are working. He does run a risk of demoralizing the brigade and providing scant relief from the pressure of academy life. That’s all the more reason to make sure that everything at the academy - food service included - helps the mids bear up under a grueling schedule.</p>
<p>Change comes hard, and we suspect Adm. Fowler’s changes aren’t popular with midshipmen who weren’t warned about them and may have been enjoying greater freedoms for a couple of years. This will fade as the new regimen becomes routine.</p>
<p>Adm. Fowler’s changes may not make him popular with the brigade, but are made with the best of intentions. We hope they’re given a chance by everyone - the community included.</p>
<p>Copyright 2007 Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The Capital (Annapolis, MD)
October 10, 2007 Wednesday</p>