Washington University’s Army
Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps (ROTC)
The Gateway Battalion
1
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Agenda
•Introduction
•Mission
•Perspective
•Curriculum
•Conclusion
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Problem Statement
•Washington University sends
conflicting messages to the student
body and broader community by
retaining its Army ROTC program while
not recognizing the worth of the
curriculum or the efforts of its students
by withholding academic credit
•At the same time the nation needs the
best and brightest leaders in public
service, Washington University student
participation in ROTC has plummeted
in the last 45 years
•Many negative stereotypes and
ignorance toward ROTC and/or the
military still exist on this campus
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Our Missions Are Not Dissimilar
“Washington University in St.
Louis is committed to providing a
great university experience filled
with knowledge, discoveries
and service. Through more than
90 programs and 1,500 courses,
we help you develop
intellectually, personally and
professionally.”
“The choices and challenges
are yours. . . . and you can
explore them all because
crossing academic boundaries
is a Washington University
specialty.”
http://wustl.edu/admissions/
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Mission of ROTC :
Select, educate, train, and
commission college students to
be officers and leaders of
character in the Army; instill the
values of citizenship, national
and community service, and
personal responsibility.
Desired Competencies:
•Character and Accountability
•Adaptability and Initiative
•Communication and Engagement
•Teamwork and Collaboration
•Comprehensive Fitness
•Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
•Cultural Competence
•Tactical and Technical Competence
•Lifelong Learner
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
We Are Among The Ten Elite Host ROTC Schools
1. Princeton
2. Duke
3. MIT (PE credits)
4. Johns Hopkins
5. Washington University*
6. Cornell
7. Vanderbilt
8. Notre Dame
9. Georgetown
10. Berkeley
2013 Commissioning Ceremony at WUSTL
Bold = Schools granting academic credit for Military Science and Leadership courses
*Students majoring in Engineering receive academic credit for MSL 300 & 400 courses
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
A Lot Has Changed Since We Last Met:
•1968: A&S vote to withdraw ROTC credit
•Feb., 1970: Arsonists burn Army ROTC &
throw cherry bombs at STL firemen
•May, 1970: In wake of Kent State, arsonists
burn Air Force ROTC building while students
raise the Viet Cong flag & throw rocks at STL
firemen
•Late 1960s /early 1970s: several universities
ban ROTC
•1970: Army ROTC moved to mid-town ; then
the Academy bldg in 1978 ; then North
Campus in 2004. SLU takes Air Force ROTC
•1973: Begin All-Volunteer Military
•1976: Service Academes integrate women
•1980s: U.S. Military transforms its approach to
training, education, and professional
development
•1986: Cadet Command established
•End of Cold War – present day: An era of near
constant armed conflict
•2011: Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
•2013: A&S agrees to review ROTC credit
Arsonists burn ROTC buildings at WUSTL
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Wash U ROTC Enrollment 1970 to 2013
1968 Vote to withdraw
academic credit
60
“A nation that makes a great distinction
between its scholars and its warriors will have
its laws made by cowards and its wars fought
by fools.”
1970 Moved off campus after arson attack
1978 ROTC Moved to Academy Building
50
1988 SLU overtakes WU;
begin teaching on SLU
― Thucydides
40
2004 Moved to North Campus
30
Series1
WU ROTC
20
AVE enrollment
since 2000: 22
2013: 12
10
AVE Freshmen: 7
2013: 2
0
1970
1981
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2013
2013
91 National Scholarships = $18,200,000 (does not include 3 or 2 yr scholarships)
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
An Unhealthy
Disconnect
ROTC was not created by
President Wilson to militarize
college campuses; it was
created to liberalize the
Army.
Commissioned officers are
devoted to selfless service to
the nation. They swear an
oath to protect and defend
the Constitution of the
United States.
If you want to change the
military, educate its leaders
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Healing
Recent Facebook comments:
• “Look what I saw on WashU's campus.”
• Richard Goldblatt “Proudly displayed on
the heart of campus where it should be!
Good for this old soldier to see. Wouldn't
have happened when I went through the
program '76 - '78.
• John Mark Atkins “Okay who twisted the
administration's arm to do this? I stopped
giving to the university because of the
way they treated ROTC. I thought this
would never happen LA '82.”
Walk-in perspective student: #2 of 402;
she wants to study bio-medical
engineering and is interested in ROTC.
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Curriculum
One 3-hr MSL course per semester with lab,
physical fitness, and field training requirements
•~ 15 hours per week
•Service learning model connects theory with
application and practice
Professor of Military Science:
•Board selected
•Master’s degree or higher
•Recent operational experience
•Proven career success
•Instructor certification
MSL 300 and 400 level courses:
•MSL 301 Three formal leadership position
assessments, oral briefings, term paper, midterm, final exam. ~ 30 pages of reading per
class
•Six week leadership evaluation and training
experience between junior and senior year
•MSL 401 Semester-long formal leadership
position assessment, oral briefings, book
review, mid-term, final exam; responsible for
planning, executing and assessing training,
assessing and mentoring underclassmen.
~ 60 pages of reading per class
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Cultural Exchange
and Language
Proficiency Program
2013: Croatia, Panama, Democratic
Republic of Congo, South Korea
2014: Dominica, Tanzania,
Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
"Public business, my son, must always be done by somebody. It
will be done by somebody or another. If wise men decline it,
others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not."
-- John Adams
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Conclusion
We respectfully request that the Academic
Committee grant academic credit for Military
Science and Leadership (MSL) 300 and 400
courses and offer Physical Education credits for
MSL100 and 200 level courses for a total of
twelve academic credits and four PE credits or
explain what changes are required to meet
academic standards worthy of credit for MSL
courses.
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC
Questions?
Gateway Battalion Army ROTC