TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Army Reserved Officers’ Training Corps unit, The Wabash Battalion, earned the 2021 MacArthur Award as the top program in the military’s 7th Brigade, the institute announced in a news release Tuesday.
This particular brigade includes a region covering 38 universities and colleges in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee. Additionally, the brigade award gives Rose-Hulman’s ROTC unit eligibility for the overall “2021 Department of Defense ROTC and Partner Institution Excellence” award.
The unit, according to the release, was recognized for its “readiness training and commissioning lieutenants for military service” and for “representing the Army’s ideals of Duty-Honor-Country and the legacy of leadership as practiced by General Douglas MacArthur,” according to Army ROTC award guidelines.
The unit commissions 35 officers, with six cadets ranked in the top 20% nationally. The unit also reports a 98% retention rate of students enrolled in the program from 2020 to 2021.
“None of this would have been possible if not for the amazing support we receive from Rose-Hulman,” Professor of Military Science Lt. Col. Benjamin Schneller said. “The entire program is humbled by the institute’s generosity and commitment to helping us develop future leaders for the Army and our country. We thank everyone for their continued support.”
