Dalton Owens, of Monroe, graduates from The Citadel

CHARLESTON, SC (07/06/2022)– Dalton Owens of Monroe, Georgia earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The Citadel.

Dalton is actually a graduate of the class of 2021, according to his mother, Michele Owens. He graduated from Prince Avenue Christian School in 2017 and attended The Citadel on a football scholarship, but exercised his 5th year and returned to play football in the fall of 2021 taking a class towards a graduate degree to be eligible to play. However, he received his BS diploma in May of this year. 

“In today’s world, college is a daunting task and it is difficult to graduate with an undergraduate degree in 4 years, but he did, all while playing football and as an officer in the corps of cadets,” his mother said. 

Now, after two years of modified graduation celebrations, Owens is one of more than 600 members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets who accepted their degrees during the college’s traditional commencement ceremony held on Saturday, May 7 in McAlister Field House.

The day before commencement, about 30% of the graduating cadets accepted commissions as officers into the U.S. Armed Services. Among those who accepted commissions are the first two Citadel cadets to join the U.S. Space Force: Conor William Deans, Space Operations Officer, and Jack O. Schwartz, Developmental Engineer.

The top academic programs for the Class included Business Administration, Intelligence and Security Studies, Criminal Justice, Mechanical Engineering and Political Science.

Graduates accepted their diploma from President of The Citadel Gen. Glenn W. Walters, USMC (Ret.), Class of 1979.

About The Citadel: The Citadel, with its iconic campus located in Charleston, South Carolina, offers a classic military college education for young men and women focused on leadership excellence and academic distinction. The approximately 2,400 members of the S.C. Corps of Cadets are not required to serve in the military, but about one-third of each class earn commissions to become officers in every branch of U.S. military service. Citadel alumni have served the nation, their states and their communities as principled leaders since 1842. The Citadel Graduate College, founded more than 50 years ago, offers dozens of graduate degree, graduate certificate and evening undergraduate programs in the evening or online. Consecutively named Best Public College in the South by U.S. News & World Report for 11 years and No. 1 Best Public College for Veterans in the South for four years. Learn more about Our Mighty Citadel here.