New York Military Academy
Address
78 Academy Ave

Cornwall-on-Hudson
,
New York
12520

United States
Coordinates41°26′54″N 74°01′39″W / 41.4483°N 74.0275°W / 41.4483; -74.0275
Information
TypePrivate, boarding school, military academy
MottoToujours Prêt
(Always Ready)
Established1889
FounderCharles Jefferson Wright
SuperintendentAngelene Huang
CEEB code331-515[1]
GradesK–12
GenderCoeducational
Campus size121 acres (49 ha)
51 buildings
Campus typeRural
Color(s)  Maroon
SloganInspire Leaders for Tomorrow
Athletics22 interscholastic sports
Athletics conferenceNEPSAC – HVAL
NYSAISAA
MascotKnights
AccreditationMSA[1][2]
Tuition$56,590 (local, boarding)
$40,590 (day)
$65,640 (international)
AffiliationsAMCSUS
NAIS (NYSAIS)[2]
Websitewww.nyma.org

New York Military Academy (NYMA) is a college preparatory, co-ed boarding school in the suburban town of Cornwall, 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City, and one of the oldest military schools in the United States. Originally a boys' school, it started admitting girls in 1975. On March 3, 2015, NYMA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and was sold at auction to Chinese-owned foundation Research Center on Natural Conservation Inc. which reopened the school in November 2015. The Research Center then poured millions of dollars into the campus to support instruction and capital improvements. The campus also has been host to popular camps like Camp All America into the 1980s and currently the NYMA Leadership Program.

History

NYMA has a long history as a university-preparatory school with a military structure that enrolls students from the New York metropolitan area as well as around the country and the world. It was founded in 1889 by American Civil War veteran and former schoolteacher from New Hampshire Charles Jefferson Wright, a former Commandant of Cadets of the nearby Peekskill Military Academy. Wright's successor, Sebastian Jones, presided over the academy from 1894 to 1922, guiding it during its most critical period of growth from a young and small institution of 48 cadets, through a disastrous fire in 1910, and throughout an extensive reconstruction program.[3] 103 students were enrolled in 2019.[4]

During the years 1959-1963, the superintendent was Nathan Dingley III, a veteran of World War I and World War II. On Oct. 12, 1963, the school's drill team participated in the Columbus Day Parade, led by commanding officer Donald Trump.[5]

The academy previously admitted students as early as the fifth grade.[6] Gradually throughout the mid-to-late 1990s, grades five and six were no longer accepted. By the 1999-2000 school-year, the academy only accepted students from the seventh grade on.[1] The seventh grade was removed in the mid-2000s; the school today only accepts grades eight through twelve. In some of its early years, the campus also hosted a non-military "NYMA Lower School" for grades one through six.)[7]

Over time, the campus expanded from 30 acres (12 ha) to a peak of 550 acres (220 ha), and enrollment peaked at 525 students during the 1960s. Girls have been admitted since 1975. NYMA is a member of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States as well as several other school associations.[2]

Financial difficulties

Due to financial problems and enrollment that had dwindled to 145 students, the school was scheduled to close in June 2010.[8][9] However, a group of alumni and local business people created a plan to save the school, raising almost $6 million of financing in a matter of weeks, and expecting to sell off some less-utilized portions of the campus.[10][11]

The academy failed to open in September 2015 for the fall semester, and instead headed to bankruptcy auction.[12][13] On September 30, NYMA was auctioned for $15.825 million to the Chinese-owned Research Center on Natural Conservation Inc., a non-profit corporation led by billionaire Vincent Tianquan Mo,[14] Chairman and CEO of SouFun Holdings, an NYSE-listed company, also operating as Fang Holdings Ltd., one of China's largest real estate internet portals.[14] The foundation also purchased the nearby E.H. Harriman Estate in 2011 and the former Pace University's 37-acre campus in Briarcliff Manor in 2017.[15] The school reopened on November 2, 2015, with "a handful of returning students" and a recruitment drive.[16][17] For 2016–17, the academic year began with a total of 29 students.[18] By 2019 the school had grown to a size of 100 male and female Cadets both day and boarding with 12 nations represented and an additional 1,000 students attending special programs throughout the year.

Location

NYMA Main Gate (2006 photo)
NYMA students in uniform, 1964. Includes future President Donald Trump (second from left).

The school is located in the town of Cornwall, New York, and uses the mailing address of the village Cornwall-on-Hudson despite being just outside its official boundary.[19]

Geographically, the academy is in the Hudson Highlands, at the foot of Storm King Mountain, just west of the Hudson River and 6 miles (10 km) north of West Point. NYMA is approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City, or about one hour by car. This places NYMA in the Mid-Hudson region of the Hudson Valley, which is accessible by airplane (Stewart International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Albany International Airport), as well as train (Amtrak and Metro-North), bus (Short Line), and automobile.

Student life

The days at NYMA typically begin at 6:00 am and end at 10:00 pm. Cadets attend classes that match their needs during that time and also participate in interscholastic or intramural sports, activities, and study hall. During closed weekends, cadets are expected to attend additional leadership training, drill & ceremony, and maintain the appearance of their respective barracks. Upon gaining the opportunity for an open weekend, cadets in good academic standing can apply for weekend furlough.[20] Along with Academics, Athletics, and Leadership, the fourth "pillar" of cadet life is Character, reinforced continually by the Cadet Honor Code that NYMA shares with West Point.[21]

Organization

Cadets on parade (2004 photo)

The structure of the Corps of Cadets is adjusted depending on the number of students enrolled at the academy. As a military school, the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a key component, and participation is required to graduate.[1] The battalion has typically consisted of:

  • Command Staff
  • Band Company
  • Line Companies: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Foxtrot and Golf
  • Delta troop or "D-troop": a cavalry unit drawn from the equestrian program (not running currently)

Athletics

NYMA has competed in Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Bowling, Lacrosse, Rugby, Swimming, Softball, Track & Field, Volleyball, Cross-Country, Wrestling, Tennis, Rifle Team, Golf, Drill Team, and Raiders. Every cadet is generally required to compete year-round.[21] The school's mascot is the Knight. Teams have competed in the Hudson Valley Athletic League, a member league of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC). NYMA is reigning champion of New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference Basketball "D" class 2018. In 2019, NYMA expanded its accomplishments to not only include the boys New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference Basketball "D" class championship but also won the girls NEPSAC championship class "E" as well.

Hazing

In earlier decades, NYMA's official regulations permitted a certain level of hazing and physical discipline by supervisors and older cadets, although the academy's senior administrators were forced to resign after a particularly severe incident in 1964.[22][23][24]

While hazing later became forbidden by the school's rules and policies, a lawsuit was settled in which it had been claimed that physical and emotional abuse in the form of hazing had taken place in 2005.[25] NYMA cited adverse publicity from the 2005 incident as one of the reasons the school nearly closed in 2010.

Notable alumni

A black-and-white photograph of Donald Trump as a teenager, smiling and wearing a dark uniform with various badges and a light-colored stripe crossing his right shoulder. This image was taken while Trump was in the New York Military Academy in 1964.
Donald Trump at age 17
(1964 yearbook)[26][27]

Major buildings

NYMA Academic Building (c.1916 postcard)
  • Academic Building
  • Davis Chapel (contains the second-largest theater pipe organ in New York, custom-built by M.P. Moller in 1927)[29]
  • Jones Barracks
  • Booth Library
  • Scarborough Hall
  • Pattillo Hall
  • Riley (formerly Dingley) Hall
  • Dickinson Hall
  • Alumni Gym and Pool

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "NYMA Profile 2016–2017" (PDF). NYMA. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Accreditation and Affiliations". NYMA. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  3. ↑ "History". NYMA. Archived from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  4. ↑ "New NYMA superintendent has challenges ahead". Mid Hudson News. July 1, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  5. ↑ Dobrow, Martin. "On Columbus Day in 1963, Trump marched up Fifth Avenue in New York's parade". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  6. ↑ Gill, Bo (March 27, 1990). "NYMA superintendent Tate is honored at West Point reception". Newburgh-Beacon Evening News. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ "NYMA announces partnership with Butterhill". Cornwall-on-Hudson.com. March 28, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  8. ↑ Applebome, Peter (May 5, 2010). "Changing Times and Money Woes Doom a Military School". New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ Randall, Michael (April 23, 2010). "NYMA can't muster money to continue". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ Brooks, Paul (July 5, 2010). "Alumni, investors ride to New York Military Academy's rescue". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  11. ↑ "NYMA lays out plans for development". Cornwall-on-Hudson.com. December 8, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ Berger, Joseph (September 20, 2015). "New York Military Academy's Sudden Closing, After 126 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  13. ↑ "NYMA Bankruptcy Proceedings: Notice of Intended Public Auction Sale" (PDF). United States Bankruptcy Court. September 4, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Golden, John (February 21, 2017). "Pace sells vacant Briarcliff Manor campus for $17.35 million". Daily Voice Plus. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  15. ↑ Bases, Daniel (September 30, 2015). Wills, Ken (ed.). "New York Military Academy sold in bidding war to Chinese investors". Reuters. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  16. ↑ Berger, Joseph (September 30, 2015). "New York Military Academy to Reopen Under New Owners". New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  17. ↑ Levensohn, Michael (October 30, 2015). "Sale complete, NYMA to reopen Monday". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  18. ↑ "A New School Year Begins". NYMA. August 30, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  19. ↑ Randall, Michael (May 14, 2010). "Village might annex NYMA". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Privileges". NYMA. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  21. 1 2 "Mission". NYMA. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  22. ↑ McIntosh, Sandy (October 5, 2015). "Culture of Hazing: Donald Trump, Me, & The End Of New York Military Academy". Long Island Press. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  23. ↑ Dougherty, Philip H. (March 3, 1964). "'Discipline With a Capital D' Is Watchword for Cadets at New York Military Academy" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Head of Academy Resigns" (PDF). The New York Times. March 8, 1964. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  25. ↑ Randall, Michael (March 23, 2005). "Alleged stabber to back cadet's NYMA hazing claim". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  26. ↑ Kranish, Michael; Fisher, Marc (2017). Trump Revealed: The Definitive Biography of the 45th President. Simon & Schuster. p. 45. ISBN 978-1501156526. Trump graduated from NYMA in May of 1964
  27. ↑ The 75th Anniversary Shrapnel. NYMA. Spring 1964. p. 107. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  28. ↑ "A Stephen Sondheim Timeline". John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  29. ↑ "New York Military Academy". New York Theatre Organ Society. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
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