U.S. Military Academy at West Point
(Disclosure: The author has a close immediate relative
who is presently a West Point Cadet)
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point got its start during the American Revolution when General George Washington chose the west bank of the Hudson River 50 miles north of New York City as a strategic fortress for stopping any potential British Redcoat advance. Alexander Hamilton introduced a bill to establish West Point as the first and oldest of America’s service academies, which Thomas Jefferson ultimately approved and founded in 1802.
West Point is dedicated to developing preeminent leaders for service to our nation as highly trained officers in the United States Army. Their time-tested motto is: Duty, Honor, Country.
Even though the U.S. Department of Defense pays for the construction and foundational operating expenses of the Normal-style campus located on 16,080 acres, the West Point Association of Graduates (AOG) raises funds each year to help supplement the money needed to keep West Point performing preeminently.
2018 Contributions Received
$54,858,623
2018 Investment Income
$30,282,012
2018 Net Assets
$395,022,203
Graduates, collectively known as The Long Gray Line, have included presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower as well as winning war generals with household last names like MacArthur, Bradley, and Patton. The first American to walk in space and two of three crew members of the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon were graduates as well. The Academy also counts among its graduates 76 Medal of Honor recipients.
2018 AOG Salaries
$9,671,819 for 159 employees
(approximately 17% of funds raised annually)
2018 Non-Salary, Non-Grant Expenses
$5,926,743
(approximately 11% of funds raised annually)
Fundraising by the AOG for the Academy are based on the Superintendent’s priorities which are: The Cyber & Engineering Academic Center, the West Point Center for Humanities (also known as The Link), the Modern War Institute, Michie Stadium Preservation, the Math & Systems Engineering Center, the Academy Scholars Program, Cyber and Combatting Terrorism Initiatives, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, and Cadet Activities and Semester Abroad programs. Grants to its programs in 2018 was more than $23 million.
Current Board & Volunteers
16 Board Members – All Independent of the Organization
70 Volunteers
West Point Superintendent
Lt. General Darryl A. Williams, Class of ’83 (since 2018)
AOG President & CEO
Todd A. Browne, Class of ’85 (since 2016)
The obvious immediate challenge for the Academy:
Modernization of the Academy outside of federal financial support needed
for other competing governmental priorities
Generosity Assessment: The West Point Association of Graduates is an impressive fundraising body with a solid track record of supporting the graduates of the Academy as well as present-day students and professors. We believe West Point and its ambitious improvement plans over the next ten years or more is a great candidate for support from:
Principal Gifts
Program Related Investments
Social Impact Funds
Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships
So, let me say: Go @WPAOG! Go West Point! Go Army! Beat Navy (yes, we will still do a profile on the wonderful folks at Annapolis soon, but until then, …) To the exceptional class of 2023 - Freedom is Not Free! Supe - you are Super!
God bless you all!
For more information on the United States Military Academy at West Point or to make a donation to the West Point Association of Graduates, please visit their web site at: