An Independent Public Record

MACEOPEDIA

The Public Record

← Back to the Wiki
Biography

The Citadel

Nancy Mace's connection to The Citadel, where in 1999 she became the first woman to graduate from the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.

Mace delivering the 2024 commencement address at The Citadel, the institution where she made history in 1999 as its first female Corps of Cadets graduate. (Source: ABC News 4 / WCIV, via YouTube.)

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, is a state-supported senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Nancy Mace's association with the institution is a defining element of her public biography.

First woman to graduate the Corps of Cadets

In 1999, Mace became the first woman to graduate from The Citadel's Corps of Cadets. The Citadel began admitting women into the Corps of Cadets in 1996, following federal court litigation in which the institution had defended its all-male admissions policy. Mace was therefore among the first cohort of women to enter the Corps and became the first to complete all degree requirements and graduate.

The Honor Code

Cadet life at The Citadel is governed by an Honor Code. The college states it as: "A cadet does not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do." The Honor Code is administered by a cadet Honor Committee and is presented by the institution as the foundational standard of cadet conduct (The Citadel, Honor & Conduct System).

As a member of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets from her enrollment through her 1999 graduation, Mace was subject to the Honor Code, and it is a frequent point of reference in how The Citadel describes the formation of its graduates.

Military service

The Citadel is a military college, but graduating from it does not entail serving in the armed forces, military service is optional for South Carolina Corps of Cadets graduates. Roughly 30 percent (about one-third) of each graduating class commissions as officers in a branch of the U.S. military; the majority do not enter service, and the Post and Courier has reported that The Citadel commissions at lower rates than peer senior military colleges (Post and Courier; The Citadel).

Mace did not serve in the U.S. armed forces. Her distinction is as the first woman to graduate the Corps of Cadets (above), not as a veteran, and, as the figures show, completing The Citadel without serving is the path most graduates take. A public association of her background with military service is also tied to her family: her father, J. Emory Mace, was a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran (Distinguished Service Cross) and the Citadel Commandant of Cadets during her cadet years (Post and Courier).

Memoir: "In the Company of Men"

In 2001, Mace published a detailed memoir titled "In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel" (Simon and Schuster, co-written with Mary Jane Ross, 260 pp.). The book is her firsthand account of her four years in the Corps of Cadets (1996-1999) and has been frequently cited in profiles of her and in her own campaign materials. Fellow Citadel alumnus Pat Conroy (author of The Lords of Discipline) praised the book as "provocative, hilarious, illuminating and true."

Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Abuse

Mace's memoir documents extensive sexual harassment, gender-based threats, and a hostile environment during her time in the Corps of Cadets. The following episodes, all cited to pages in the 2001 Simon and Schuster edition, represent her own published firsthand account:

Classmate Simulates Sex Act During Class (January 1997)

During her knob (freshman) year, while Mace was speaking in a study session, another classmate stood behind her and simulated having sex with her in front of others. When she tried to resolve it with classmates first, they "denied everything." She reported the incident to her squad sergeant, Mr. Schuler, who explicitly named it "sexual harassment, which was illegal" and racked both the cadet and his roommate for behavior "unbecoming a cadet." However, one of the punished cadets came to her quarters privately afterward and called her a "fucking liar." Both cadets were eventually punished and apologized. In a twist of irony, Mace later learned that the classmate who harassed her had been named to the Commandant's List as the "best knob in Band Company" (pp. 194-196).

Platoon Sergeant Forces Public Display in Men's Bathroom (September 1996)

A new cleaning duty called "Douche Detail" (later renamed "Hydro Detail" to eliminate the sexist term) required swamping the barracks. During this duty, a platoon sergeant made Mace shout as loud as she could inside the men's bathroom "just because he thought it was hilarious to hear a female voice shouting in the men's bathroom" (p. 107).

Two Corporals Corner Her with Menacing Claim (October 1996)

Returning alone from the library, Mace was stopped by two Band Company corporals (Kaufman and Ingram), who ordered her to brace and called her "the worst knob in the company, the worst even of the four girl cadets." They told her that Colonel Lackey had described her appearance as the worst of any female knob. Then: "Finally, one of them leaned in close and told me that they were going to make me 'all theirs.' I felt sick to my stomach. Everybody knew that knobs were sometimes 'claimed' by upperclassmen for intensely abusive relationships." She notes that after this incident, though they continued to rack her occasionally, they never repeated the threat (p. 143).

Recurring Sexual Harassment from Drunk Alumnus at Games (Fall 1996)

A drunk alumnus came to every football game "roaring drunk" and seemed "obsessed" with Mace. At halftime, he would come looking for her in the bleachers, intentionally step on her polished shoes with muddy soles, and lean in to whisper obscenities. She writes: "he would lean into my face, his breath stinking of alcohol, and whisper a steady stream of obscenities into my ear. I was the little slut who was 'fucking my way through the ranks' and 'ruining his school.'" When he poked her, she "always wondered where his fingers would land next." The worst part: "The other cadets in my company just sat there, pretending they didn't see a thing." Occasionally Mr. Dye would politely escort the man away, but he always returned (pp. 135-136).

Ex-Boyfriend Cadet: Property Destruction and Threatening Notes (1997-1998)

After she ended a relationship with "one of the highest ranking cadets in the Corps," he refused to accept it. Mace writes: "Against my strong protests, my boyfriend resigned his position to be with me, eventually destroying my personal property and leaving disturbing notes in my quarters when I refused to go out with him anymore." As a result, she went from being "the bitch" to being "the whore" in the eyes of the Corps. This incident reinforced her resolve never to make the same mistake again (p. 214).

Campus Gossip and False Sexual/Character Smears (Recurring)

Mace describes the "vicious, personal nature of the gossip" throughout her time at The Citadel. She had been accused of being drunk, a drug addict, and a "dyke." The most egregious rumors: "According to campus gossip, I'd had several abortions and more than one illegitimate child." She was called "ugly, stupid, bitch, whore, and worse, more times than I could count." She notes: "Those who knew me realized that the rumors weren't true, and that the names were cruel and unjust, but still, it bothered me that people I would never meet still smeared my reputation far and wide. It was humiliating, and it was unfair" (p. 215).

Wealthy Alumnae ("SOBs") Taunting from the Stands (Fall 1996)

Mace notes that "the worst abuse in public usually came from other females. I was astonished at what came out of the mouths of these perfectly groomed women." She explains that the affluent Charleston women who formed the backbone of Citadel social support were sometimes referred to as "SOBs" (literally "south of Broads," referring to an area of Charleston). From the stands at games, they called her ugly, butch, a slut, a whore, and a "dyke." She concludes: "I knew who the real bitches were" (p. 135).

Institutional Context: The M&M Case

Mace was not alone. Two of the four female cadets who entered with her in 1996, Kim Messer and Jeanie Mentavlos ("M&M"), sued The Citadel for hazing and sexual harassment after their first year.

Their allegations included:

  • Physical hazing: clothes set on fire while wearing; cleanser poured on heads; forced consumption of tea and alcohol until illness; confinement and kicking in closets.
  • Sexual harassment: digitally altered explicit photographs published online; cadets telling Mentavlos that "the first to have sex with her would become an honorary upperclassman"; Cadet Edward Bohm setting her clothing on fire multiple times, causing burns.

Institutional response: One cadet was dismissed, three resigned, and 14 total were disciplined. Prosecutors declined criminal charges. Mace's memoir notes that "Messer and Mentavlos sued the college alleging verbal and physical abuse" and that "The Citadel settled out of court with a monetary payment to both plaintiffs" while admitting no guilt (p. 190). Neither Messer nor Mentavlos returned for a second semester.

Broader Pattern: Sexual Assault Prevalence

A survey of The Citadel found that approximately one in five (20 percent) female cadets reported experiencing sexual assault since enrollment, underscoring that the harassment documented in Mace's account and the M&M case was part of systemic institutional failure, not isolated incidents.

Sources on Harassment and the Memoir

Significance to her public identity

Her status as a Citadel graduate is regularly referenced in coverage of her career and is a recurring theme in how she presents her background. The distinction is commonly noted in introductions of her in news media and official biographies.

See also