CHADRON – The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program will be reinstated at Chadron State College after a two-year hiatus. In the program, students train to become officers in the U.S. Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserves.
Two years ago, when Senator Tom Brewer, who represents District 43, learned the ROTC program at CSC was ending, he said he was concerned.
“The program has produced several outstanding graduates who became senior leaders in the Nebraska National Guard. My daughter Kalee and her husband, Dalton, were both commissioned from this program,” Brewer said.
He began working with Adjutant General, Major General Craig Strong.
“He shares my sincere belief that we need more commissioning sources for new military officers, not less. Like everywhere else in western Nebraska, there are not a lot of people. The program at Chadron had suffered declining enrollment for some time. The full-time active-duty soldiers assigned to this duty were hard to find, and too junior in rank to build an effective program,” Brewer said.
Recently, Strong informed Brewer that the ROTC program at CSC would be restarted.
“He has worked very hard with the U.S. Army Cadet Recruiting Command and has coordinated with other larger programs so Chadron could be a satellite campus. He has made staffing two full-time positions a high priority,” Brewer said.
Chadron State College President Ron K. Patterson said the time has come to reactive the ROTC program at CSC following many months of discussion, consultation, and advocacy with Brewer and Strong.
“CSC’s long and honorable ties to military and training students to become officers in the U.S. Army is without question value added to western Nebraska and the High Plains region. Reinstating the ROTC program allows CSC to be a leader in producing the next wave of U.S. Army officers,” Patterson said.
Dr. Paul Turman, chancellor of the Nebraska State College System, said the program cultivates leaders who contribute meaningfully to communities and strengthen the state’s economy
“The continuation of the ROTC program at Chadron State College would not have been possible without General Strong’s and Senator Brewer’s crucial support. The continued presence of ROTC is critical not only for our students’ personal growth and success but also for the broader benefit of Nebraska,” Turman said.