CHAIRPERSON: MAJOR WILLIAM WHITE
Faculty
Professor: Captain David Sherman
Professor: Mr. Bill Ramsey
Assistant Professor: Sergeant First Class Steven Rice
Wilkes University offers students the opportunity to participate in Army ROTC at nearby King’s College through the Northeast Pennsylvania Officer Training Corps Battalion. The classes are conducted l at nearby King’s College, a five-minute walk north on Franklin Street from Wilkes University. Students who participate in this program do so without penalty to their full-time academic status at Wilkes University.
The primary objective of the Army Reserve Training Program is to develop leadership capabilities in students and to train future officers for the active Army, US Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard.
Army ROTC is a flexible program that can be tailored to the individual student’s schedule, particularly in the freshman and sophomore years. Military Science instruction is offered at King’s College with both two- and four-year programs leading to a commission as an officer in one of the three components of the United States Army.
To obtain a commission, qualified male and female students must pass a physical examination and complete either the two- or four-year program of Military Science courses. Students normally take one course per semester during their four-year course of study.
All students receiving ROTC scholarships, as well as juniors and seniors and some sophomores participating in Army ROTC, are contracted with the Army and receive a monthly stipend. The stipend is $420 per month for up to 10 months a year. The stipend is paid directly to the student each month that the student is in school.
The Army ROTC Department provides all uniforms,equipment, and textbooks required for the classes. In addition to the academic classes, students may also participate on a voluntary basis in many additional training opportunities such as physical training and hands-on equipment training each week. Each semester there is a military social event at least one optional weekend training session that includes such events as military marksmanship, cross country orienteering, military rappelling, leadership application courses, and obstacle and confidence courses. During break sand vacations, students may volunteer for active army training in such areas as military parachute operations, helicopter operations, military mountain climbing, and training with active Army units in the United States and overseas. All training is cost-free to the student, and students are paid for some summer training courses.
The ROTC program consists of two programs: 1) the Basic Course, normally given during the freshman and sophomore years and comprising MIL 211, MIL 212, MIL 221, and MIL 222, and 2) the Advanced Course, normally taken during the junior and senior years and comprising MIL 231, MIL 232, MIL 241 and MIL 242. MIL 251/MIL 252 are taken each year in both the Basic and Advanced Course.
Students who have completed basic training in any U.S.service may qualify for placement in the Advanced Course.Additionally, students who have not completed the ROTC Basic Course may qualify for the Advanced Course by attending a paid four-week Leadership Training Course conducted at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Freshman and sophomore students may compete for two-,three-, and four-year ROTC scholarships that pay full tuition and up to $1200 per year for books. The Army will commission graduates as second lieutenants with a starting salary of over $53,000 per year, plus medical and dental benefits and 30 days paid vacation per year.
For more information on the Army ROTC program at Wilkes University, contact the Army ROTC Department at 570-208-5900, ext. 5305.
Basic Course
The Basic Course constitutes a two-year program for freshmen and sophomores and is designed to provide a basic level of military knowledge and a general knowledge of roles,organization, missions, and basic leadership techniques.The program consists of two one-credit and two two-credit courses. Students enrolled in the Basic Course who are not receiving Army ROTC scholarships incur no military obligations.