Four highly decorated military leaders have been named finalists in The Citadel’s search for its 20th president. The Citadel Board of Visitors released the names of the three- and four-star generals as a prelude to interviews with the candidates in late March and early April. As part of the selection process, a presidential search committee led by businessman and retired U.S. Army Gen. William W. Hartzog, chairman and chief executive officer of Burdeshaw Associates, presented a list of military and civilian senior leaders to the Board of Visitors for their consideration and approval.

"This is an exceptional field of finalists," said Board of Visitors Chairman Fred L. Price, Jr. “All of these officers distinguished themselves as military leaders during their long service in our nation’s armed forces and demonstrated impeccable integrity and strategic acumen. The search committee has been working toward this day since September, and it has been a privilege to serve with them to bring the search to this exciting milestone.”

The Citadel Board appointed the search committee shortly after Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa announced that he would be stepping down as president. Rosa plans to retire June 30, 2018.

The four finalists in alphabetical order are:

General Dan Allyn, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Former vice chief of staff of the Army, Gen. Dan Allyn retired in 2017 after serving 36 years as a soldier. As vice chief, he served as principal deputy to the chief of staff, overseeing resourcing decisions with an annual budget of $150 billion. Over the course of his career, Allyn commanded U.S. Army Forces Command, the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd ID, and served staff assignments and deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, and other locations. The general graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1981.

General Robert B. Brown, U.S. Army

Gen. Robert Brown is commander of U.S. Army Pacific, the Army’s largest service component command. The command’s 106,000 active and reserve soldiers and Department of the Army civilian employees support the nation’s strategic objectives in the Pacific region. The general commanded the I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, served as deputy commander of the 25th Infantry Division, commanded the 1st Brigade Combat Team (Stryker) 25th ID, and deployed to Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Haiti. Brown graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1981.

Lieutenant General Michael Ferriter, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter served as commanding general of Installation Management Command and assistant chief of staff installation management until his retirement in 2014. He is currently president and CEO of the Ferriter Group. At Installation Management Command, the general led a worldwide enterprise at 75 Army installations, spanning 17 time zones with a $12 billion a year budget and 75,000-person workforce. He also served as commander of the NATO Training Mission Iraq, the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, and the U.S. Army Infantry Center. Ferriter graduated from The Citadel in 1979.

General Glenn M. Walters, U.S. Marine Corps

Gen. Glenn Walters serves as the 34th assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. Among his duties, he represents the Marine Corps as the Defense Department and the military services make decisions about defense policy, resourcing, and alignment with National Defense Strategy. His nearly 39-year career includes service as the deputy commandant for programs and resources; as the commanding general of 2d Marine Aircraft Wing; in command of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) in Helmand Province, Afghanistan; and as the deputy director of the Joint Staff J-8. The general is a 1979 graduate of The Citadel.

Each of the candidates will come to campus for interviews with the Board of Visitors in late March or early April. Each will give a presentation to The Citadel community and meet with faculty, staff, and the leadership team of the college.