#68: Lieutenant General (Ret.) Bob Caslen — Taking Ownership of Mistakes as a Leader

<p class="">For show notes, visit <strong><a href= "https://calwalters.me/">https://calwalters.me/</a></strong> </p> <p class="">It is an honor and pleasure to welcome back Lieutenant General (Ret.) Robert Caslen, who recently served as the <a href= "https://www.sc.edu/about/our_leadership/president/index.php"><strong> 29th President of the University of South Carolina</strong></a>. On this episode, General Caslen discusses his time at the University of South Carolina and recent controversy surrounding a speech he made at their graduation ceremony.</p> <p class="">General Caslen served 43 years in the United States Army. His military career culminated in 2018 as the 59th Superintendent of the <a href= "https://www.westpoint.edu/"><strong>United States Military Academy at West Point</strong></a>.</p> <p class="">Under his direction as Superintendent, West Point was recognized as the number one public college in the Nation by Forbes Magazine and the number one public college by U.S. News and World Report. Through the establishment of Centers of Excellence at West Point, General Caslen connected the operational Army with West Point research and intellectual capital. He refined West Point’s leadership program by making professional ethics a priority and essential part of leadership and character development. He worked tirelessly to expand the diversity of cadets and faculty alike, and he dramatically expanded West Point’s minority and women populations to reflect the demographics of the Army that West Point’s graduates help lead.</p> <p class="">Working with the Director of Athletics, he revamped the athletic program, made it self-sustaining, and fielded 25 competitive intercollegiate teams. He created partnerships with the NCAA and Department of Defense to conduct research into preventing and treating concussions and traumatic brain injury that have led to significant improvements in prevention and care. He stood up the <a href="https://cyber.army.mil/"><strong>Army Cyber Institute</strong></a> to build expertise an