ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Roanoke College has announced a new program beginning in the 2025 academic year.
On Monday, November 11, Roanoke College announced its new Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) program that will be a part of the New River Valley Battalion of Cadets.
The ROTC program will be a four-year program, but students are also able to join as sophomores or juniors. This program is a part of Roanoke’s plan to ‘make the exploration of purpose, the pursuit of character, and the graduation of leaders as a part of the education at the college.
This program will be a concentration for students that can be combined with a major at the school. Military Science will be a course taught on campus and cadets will be involved in combined training exercises each week with Radford University cadets.
Damon Daniels ’24 will be Roanoke’s new military support and recruitment coordinator and will be the person to contact for students interested in the program. Daniels was in the Army for almost 20 years and toured in Afghanistan and Iraq and recently graduated with a health and physical education major.
Daniels also created and served as President of the Student Veterans Group while attending Roanoke and now advises the group.
“The College thanks Radford, and especially Major Drew Snow, assistant professor of military science and detachment officer in charge, for helping to bring ROTC to Roanoke College,” David Taylor, associate vice president for academic operations, said. “We’re excited to continue the collaboration.”
The military science courses will be taught by Army instructors and professors along with offering ROTC students from both schools to have joint classes once a week.
ROTC courses include the following:
- Critical thinking
- Personal development
- Leadership development
- Analytical thinking
- Troop leading procedures
- Army problem-solving
Cadets will learn about their leadership styles while working on their skills to work up into leadership roles. ROTC members will be in a small detachment which will allow them to work together while maintaining a high level of physical fitness.
The cadets can then graduate as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army. ROTC students are eligible for financial aid and scholarships from the U.S. Army to help with educational costs.
Cadets can also graduate as second lieutenants and the goal of the program is to emphasize the following personal integrity, goal setting, ethical decision-making, and mission accomplishment.
The program also offers field training like rappelling, land navigation, and marksmanship all while increasing confidence, discipline, and physical stamina.
Students interested in the new ROTC program at Roanoke can contact Damon Daniels, military support and recruitment coordinator, at 540-444-0774 or daniels@roanoke.edu.