What's your take on this article and the premise that midshipmen aren't the Best and Brightest

He is currently under review for inappropriate behavior and not teaching this spring. My Mid had him for a few weeks before he was removed from the classroom. Fleming's reading material/choice of texts being studied are being used and are very much in keeping with Fleming's beliefs. Hope he's removed for good.[/QUOTE]

Good to know, I was glad my plebe didn't get him!
 
There seems to be a lot of that inappropriate behavior going around lately.
 
DesertCaliMom said:
DS said he's actually grateful he was TWE... hah!
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Seems a bit extreme and bitter, but I could understand that coming from a young man who is still processing a TWE. I hope your DS thrives at his college of choice and becomes a Naval Officer. USNA is by no means perfect and I am not a Professor Fleming fan (one of the few on this board, if not the only one to actually have had him in class). I can appreciate someone willing to challenge the norm, process and outcomes at USNA. I don’t agree with his methods or many of his points.

There are hundreds of military and civilian Profs at USNA who work hard, are about supporting, educating and pushing Midshipmen/USNA and give up a great deal of their time to help out Mids. You wouldn’t believe the number of Profs who spend extra time during study hours (not just office hours like a civilian university) to help Mids. I saw Profs volunteer side by side with Mids in the community, volunteer to mentor or serve as sponsors to clubs and other activities and come to sporting events. Sure not all of them went the extra mile, but a whole heck of a lot of them did. USNA is by no means perfect and has had an issue or two pop up regarding professors or company officers behaving inappropriately. They have been dealt with and handled (harshly in most cases as it should of been). Professor Fleming is the first civilian Prof I can remember since I have been associated with USNA who has gotten themself in hot water (at least publicly). Since he has made such a name for himself as a critic and is a government employee (for anyone who has worked in the federal government... you know how hard it is to fire someone), I am sure USNA is ensuring this investigation is by the book in every regard. Just as I wouldn’t write off every Prof at Notre Dame or Harvard, because of the actions of one professor, I would hope the rest of USNA’s faculty wouldn’t either.
 
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NavyHoops said:
USNA is by no means perfect
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Also, keep in mind that USNA is, rightfully or wrongfully, put on a pedestal, and things that might be considered routine at a "normal" college are often blown into scandals. I'm not condoning inappropriate behavior or saying that we shouldn't hold USNA to a higher standard, but Professor Fleming's rants are tame in comparison to the BS coming from professors at other colleges (for example, the Fresno State professor that bashed Barbara Bush). I will take the USNA Faculty and Student Body as any day !
 
It's a Schadenfreude thing.
The Service Academies have problems similar to those of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
The BSA has a reputation for having perfect little do-gooders who spend all their time helping old ladies cross the street and heroically saving lives. Until recent years, the BSA hadn't been very inclusive, and that invited ire from a lot of people and organized groups.
They fixed that, and have adapted with the times - maybe kicking and screaming - but adapted nonetheless.
If you have a reputation for being "good", then naturally there are a lot of people out there ready to pounce on any bad press.
It shouldn't be "natural", but it seems to be.

I'm with Old Navy BGO. I'll stack USNA up against any college faculty and student body in the country. It should be at least as good.
Of course it's not perfect, but it strives to be the best. That's what you should expect from any institution of higher learning.
 
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