Army ROTC is one of the
best leadership courses in the
country. It is offered at 9 colleges
and universities in the state of
Alabama. During your time in
college, ROTC will complement
your education with instruction
in leadership development, goal
setting, military science, decision
making and problem solving.
Army ROTC will provide you an
opportunity to develop these
skills outside the classroom with
practical, hands-on exercises and
leadership training events. When
you graduate and complete all of
the training and academic
requirements of the program, you
will be commissioned as a second
lieutenant – an officer in the Army,
Army National Guard or Army
Reserve
SO, WHAT’S ROTC LIKE?
We asked Dirk Tyson, Recruiting Operations Officer at the
University of South Alabama Army ROTC
Of course we wanted the scoop on college scholarship opportunities, but we also
wanted to know what it’s like to be a part of the program in a typical week. While details and opportunities may vary from school to school, Recruiting Operations Officer
Dirk Tyson from the University of South Alabama gave us the details:
Q: What kind of scholarships are available to ROTC participants?
A:
There are several scholarship opportunities for students. 4yr scholarships,
3yr scholarships, 2yr and even scholarships for grad school. Our scholarships
cover tuition and fees: $1,200 each year for books and a graduated monthly
stipend that begins at $300.00 per academic month as a freshmen and ends at
$500.00 per academic month as a senior.
Q: Does participating in ROTC mean you enlist after graduating?
A:
No, you don’t enlist. After graduation you will be a Commissioned Officer
in the Army if you complete ROTC and your degree requirements. You will
have the option to go into the National Guard, Army Reserves or compete
for active Duty.
Q: How much time per week should students expect to dedicate to
ROTC? Can you tell us briefly what the program is like?
A:
It varies based on academic class, but basically they have a class and a weekly
lab. Once contracted you will be coming to physical training (PT) three days
a week for an hour each. We also train one weekend each semester in the
woods on a field training exercise (FTX).
Q: What other opportunities are available in the program?
A:
ROTC CADET
HIGHLIGHT
CDT Morgan Duncan,
AUM Army ROTC
In ROTC you learn skills that you
can take through life, from being an
army officer to being a civilian.You
learn traits that become instilled in
you and that you can apply in every
aspect of your life. After graduating,
I plan to become an active duty
officer branching in aviation, and
possibly go to physical therapy
school.
ROTC Clubs Scabbard and Blade is the honor’s society of Army ROTC.
You must be selected based on your performance in school and ROTC.
Ranger Challenge is a club through ROTC in which you will compete
against other Universities ROTC programs. The team is selective and you
must show willingness to push and motivate your peers. To be qualified for
this team you must show high motivation and the ability to become physically fit. This is a great way to stay in shape, and meet other cadets from other
universities.
Color Guard participates at the Jaguar sporting events by conducting
gameday opening ceremonies. They also help with the University of South
Alabama’s ceremonies and sponsored parades.
If you like to participate in a variety of sports, we also have intramural flag
football, Softball, Basketball, Water polo, Volleyball, etc. Jaguar Joggers is our
running club.
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Winter 2016 |
35