"Just as the challenges of the nineteenth century led to the creation of West Point and the Naval Academy, and those of the twentieth century to the Air Force Academy, the challenges of the twenty-first century point to a new paradigm in leader development, a ‘civilian West Point' to promote public service and to develop a steady stream of civilian leaders marked by character and competence: the U.S. Public Service Academy."
--Lt. Gen. Dave Palmer (U.S. Army, Ret.), Former Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy at West Point

As a former superintendent of West Point and the author of a book on George Washington, Gen. Palmer is uniquely positioned to articulate the case for building a civilian counterpart to the military service academies. After all, Washington sought to build both a military and a civilian academy to nurture military and civilian leadership, respecively.

Step back to the late 18th century. The ragtag Continental Army had just managed to defeat a world superpower, but Washington recognized that the challenges of defending a fledgling nation demanded a more systematic way to develop military leaders and to train them in the latest techniques of warfare. That need prompted the creation of West Point in 1802, under the Jefferson Administration. Over time, West Point became one of the nation's top engineering schools, and the Civil War put to rest any question about its graduates' military abilities.
 
Washington had less success with his idea to create a "civilian West Point." He broached the idea of creating a national college for civilian leaders in his first and final Annual Messages to Congress (now called the State of the Union address). After he retired, he became fixated on the idea, envisioning the proposed national capital of Washington, D.C. as the ideal spot for the campus.

The national university became Washington's "personal hobbyhorse," in the words of biographer, Joseph Ellis - an issue that he would discuss at length with visitors who came to Mount Vernon. A national university, he believed, could develop national leadership, set a standard for academic excellence, and help bind the nation together.

Washington died before he could persuade Congress to fulfill his dream, but in his will he left money to help found such a college. Congress refused to extend any help.
 
Washington's vision was shared by many of the most prominent Americans for generations. Our first six presidents unambiguously supported the establishment of a national university. Thomas Jefferson harbored visions of a national university to develop top students into leaders to serve the new republic. Unable to push the idea through the U.S. Congress, he poured his energies into developing a flagship university for his home state of Virginia. Even before he received approval from the state legislature, he raised money, wrote a curriculum, designed buildings, and hired teachers for what was to become the University of Virginia. He considered the university his crowning feat, one of only three achievements listed on his tombstone.
 
James Madison too pushed for a national college for civilian leaders. At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he sought to give Congress the explicit mandate to establish one. His motion failed, but as president in 1815, he hired the nation's foremost architect, Benjamin Latrobe, to draw up sketches of a national college as the third apex of a triangle formed by the Capitol and the White House. Like his predecessors, however, he was stymied by petty parochialism in Congress.
 
The founding generation was ahead of its time. Narrow political and economic restraints may have obscured Washington's dream, but the enduring need to educate able, energetic, and effective public leaders remains with us today. That is the mission of the United States Public Service Academy - a singular university to promote and educate virtuous and patriotic citizens. Drawing on momentum from the recent resurgence of service initiatives, it will channel the vital energies of America's youth into the service of the American people.

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