Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University has selected Brigadier General William McCollough ’91, VSM, the University’s 56th Commandant of Cadets and Vice President for Student Affairs, as the 2026 Commencement speaker. His selection reflects not only a distinguished career of service, but a life shaped by Norwich University’s enduring mission to educate useful citizens prepared to serve with character and purpose.
BG McCollough will return to the commencement stage this spring as he concludes four years of impactful leadership at Norwich. For graduating cadets and students, his presence represents more than professional accomplishment; it embodies the values, expectations, and responsibilities that define a Norwich education.
“BG McCollough represents the very best of Norwich. As a cadet, Marine, and now as both the commandant and vice president of student affairs, he has consistently demonstrated that leadership is about responsibility to others and service to something greater than ourselves,” said LtGen John J. Broadmeadow ’83, USMC (Ret.), 25th President of Norwich University. “Our soon-to-be alumni have benefitted greatly from his example as someone who lives the values we ask them to uphold.”
Raised in Minnesota among family members who served in uniform, BG McCollough understood service as a calling from an early age. A chance connection with retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, GEN Jack Vessey, redirected BG McCollough’s path. Encouraged to pursue a Naval ROTC Marine Option scholarship, BG McCollough began considering where he might best prepare to lead. He visited only one school, which would become his alma mater.
As a cadet, McCollough was shaped by the demands of Rookdom, the Cadet’s Creed, and the Honor Code. He formed lifelong bonds with classmates and absorbed lessons from faculty and mentors who emphasized growth, accountability, and intellectual curiosity. A member of the swim team, he learned discipline, resilience, and continuous effort — lessons that would inform his leadership long after graduation.
Commissioned in 1991, BG McCollough embarked on a 30-year career in the United States Marine Corps defined by breadth and depth. BG McCollough deployed across the globe and held assignments that spanned tactical command, strategic advising, and congressional liaison work.
He led Marines in combat and in crisis — from counterterrorism operations to wildfire response in the American West. He commanded at the battalion and regimental levels, advised Iraqi and Afghan security forces, and later led at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. His responsibilities included engagement with Congress and participation in high-level strategic studies.
Following his retirement from the Marine Corps, BG McCollough returned to Norwich to serve as Commandant of Cadets and Vice President for Student Affairs. He viewed the role as an opportunity to repay the education that had prepared him for service.
“Norwich had prepared me well to lead Marines, and in turn, the Marine Corps had given me the experience to be an effective commandant and vice president,” McCollough said. “Leading a squad at Norwich or a regiment in the Marines both require people of character willing to take responsibility for others. The scale and stakes are different, but the fundamentals don’t change, and I was grateful for the chance to teach that to the next generation of Norwich men and women.”
During his tenure, he championed experiential learning initiatives such as Norwich Expeditions and compiled “Words to Consider,” reinforcing the belief that growth emerges through challenge and perseverance.
Commencement marks a profound moment in the Norwich student’s life — both an ending and a beginning. For BG McCollough, delivering the address carries layered significance. He once stood among graduating cadets receiving his degree and commissioning, uncertain where service would lead. Decades later, he returns having led Marines in war, advised national leaders, and guided a new generation of Norwich students.
As the next class steps forward, diplomas in hand, they will do so under the guidance of someone who has spent a lifetime proving that the call to serve does not end at graduation — it begins there.
About Norwich University
Norwich University is a diversified academic institution that educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as civilians. Norwich offers a broad selection of traditional and distance-learning programs culminating in baccalaureate and graduate degrees. Norwich University was founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge of the U.S. Army and is the oldest private military college in the United States of America. Norwich is one of our nation's six senior military colleges and the birthplace of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). www.norwich.edu
2.24.2026. NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich
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