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at least a 3.0 GPA and qualified for
Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship to help
pay for college. “These students will
go on to get their degrees and join
the workforce,” he noted.
At the junior college level,
GMC’s Corps of Cadets includes 245
students in five distinct programs.
One of the most competitive is the
Service Academy Prep Scholar Program, where students who narrowly
missed admission to a U.S. Service
Academy spend an additional year
at GMC to strengthen their academic and leadership credentials before
reapplying.
“This year we have 99 cadets in
that program,” McKenrick said. “Last
year, 94 percent of our Prep Scholars were admitted to a U.S. Service
Academy. It’s a very high select
rate— higher than any other prep
school for admission to the Service
Academies.”
He points to specific graduates
as proof of what that year at GMC
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can do. “We had a graduate from the
Coast Guard Academy last May who,
four years earlier, had spent a year
here as a prep scholar,” he said. “That
cadet graduated as valedictorian of
the Coast Guard Academy class.”
Another student, who spent a
year at GMC before entering West
Point, graduated in May 2024 as a
Rhodes Scholar— one of just a handful of students nationwide to earn
that honor.
“That’s the difference one year of
academic preparation, leadership development and military discipline can
make,” he said. “It can take someone
from just missing the cut to graduating at the very top of their class.”
Building on Strong Shoulders
The new president is quick to
credit his predecessors— particularly
Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, IV, who
served as president immediately before him, and Maj. Gen. Peter Boylan,
who served for 22 years before that.
“Really, this is several presidents in
a row continuing to work with the
leadership teams to develop a very
effective organization that has continued to get better every year.”
“I’ve come into an organization
that’s operating at a very high level
with an excellent staff who make it
easier for me. I’m really working on
the margins to improve an organization that’s already very effective and
efficient. My goal is to continue to
make it even better.”
As Georgia continues to grow
and the demands on its workforce
and communities increase, Georgia
Military College sits at a powerful
intersection of history and innovation, tradition and agility. With a new
president at the helm— and leadership, character, and opportunity as
its guiding stars— GMC is poised to
shape the next generation of leaders
for Georgia and our nation.
Cindy Morley is a staff writer for James and
James Magazine Online.
