President William B. Caldwell, IV

President William B. Caldwell, IV

Message from the President | President’s Military Biography

Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell IV, USA (Ret.) is the 21st President of Georgia Military College, and has served in this position since his retirement from the U.S. Army on November 1, 2013.

Georgia Military College is comprised of a K-12 Preparatory School of approximately 900 students/cadets and a Junior College, which last year supported over 11,000 students. The Junior College’s Main Campus and Global Online Leadership College (GOLC) are both located in Milledgeville, GA. While the Main Campus offers two-year degrees and a traditional college experience with NJCAA sports, a fine arts program, a residential Corps of Cadets, and a variety of student organizations; the Global Online Leadership College offers fully-online four-year degrees. The Junior College also has eight Satellite locations throughout the state, with four being collocated with military installations.

As President of a college that embraces the time-honored values of “Duty, Honor, Country” and “Character Above All,” General Caldwell has worked tirelessly to ensure that these values are embedded in all courses and instruction, as well as practiced daily by students and faculty/staff, as GMC develops the whole student and provides an educational experience that includes first class academics, ethics, leadership, fitness (mental and spiritual), as well as teaching civility and respect for all.

GMC is always seeking to establish more Pathways of Opportunities for every student and does so by offering 29 two-year degree programs and seven online four-year Bachelor of Applied Science degree programs developed to support our military service members (active, Guard and reserve) and their families, along with Technical School graduates in Georgia so they can continue with their educational goals. GMC has also continued to embrace the State’s Dual Enrollment Program and has high school students attending courses at Georgia Military College across the state.

During his tenure, the college established and has laser focused on the Global Online Leadership College which now delivers over 60% of all college credit hours. His vision, leadership, and investment into the GOLC has dramatically transformed the landscape of Georgia Military College. Through the GOLC, President Caldwell ensures that students across the world are able to receive the values of “Duty, Honor Country” and “Character Above All.”

Within the Georgia Military College Corps of Cadets there has been a renewed focus on professionalism and commitment to service, in addition to growing the Corps. GMC is a premier Military Junior College – one of only four in the U.S., developing 2nd Lieutenants for the U.S. Army. The Corps of Cadets now also serves as a preparatory school for the United States Military Academy, United States Coast Guard Academy, the United States Naval Academy, and the United States Air Force Academy – it is known as the Service Academy Scholars Program. Additionally, GMC offers the State Service Scholarship for members of the Georgia National Guard to attend as a full-time student with no cost to them, and students seeking character and leadership skills but not a military obligation can pursue a Civic Leader pathway in the Corps. The Cadet program is built upon GMC’s core values of “Duty, Honor, and love of Country” and emphasizes the four pillars of leadership: academic excellence, physical fitness, leadership development, and self-discipline.

Georgia Military College Preparatory School (K-12 grades) has also experienced growth under General Caldwell’s leadership, having added grades K-5. With the addition of the elementary grades, GMC Preparatory School also expanded its campus footprint with the historic preservation and restoration of two key facilities that now house all K-5 students.

General Caldwell was commissioned as an Infantry Officer from the United States Military Academy at West Point in June 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He went on to earn Master’s Degrees from the United States Naval Postgraduate School and from the School for Advanced Military Studies at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Later, he attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as a Senior Service College Fellow. He was also selected to serve as a White House Fellow—one of the most prestigious fellowships in our nation.

In his almost 13 years as a General Officer, Caldwell served at the highest levels of the U.S. Army. Most notably as Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, Commanding General of the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, Commanding General of the US Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, and Commander of United States Army North (Fifth Army). He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Effects, and as spokesperson for the Multi-National Force – Iraq. His combat deployments include Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Just Cause (Panama), Operation Uphold Democracy (Haiti), Iraq and Afghanistan.

He also served as Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Deputy Director for Operations for the United States Pacific Command, and Assistant Division Commander, 25th Infantry Division.  LtGen Caldwell received numerous awards and recognitions, both domestic and foreign, during his 37 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Army and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

As the President of Georgia Military College, General Caldwell serves as an advisory member to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training (P.O.S.T.) Council, the Wesley Foundation at GCSU, and the Oconee River Greenway Authority. General Caldwell and his wife, Rev. Stephanie Caldwell, are both originally from Columbus, GA. They have three children who graduated from GMC Prep School and the oldest is a 2021 West Point graduate, the second is a 2023 United States Air Force Academy graduate, and the third is pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree at Georgia Military College.