Erik Rodney
Recruiting Operations Officer
- rodneye@dickinson.edu
- 717-245-1221
- 717-245-1566
If you think you have what it takes and the desire to be a leader in the U.S. Army, take the first step by contacting me.
Army ROTC
Army ROTC for Messiah Students
The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) locally known as the Blue Mountain Battalion provides leadership development and training to students, known as Cadets, who may be planning futures as officers in the U.S. Army. Through its emphasis on leadership skills and teamwork, ROTC fosters a sense of responsibility and service to others, values that align with Christian teachings. Moreover, the program encourages diversity and understanding among different cultures and backgrounds, promoting the importance of mutual respect and empathy. These values are crucial to fostering reconciliation and building bridges between individuals and communities. Men and women who choose to contract in and successfully complete the ROTC program receive a commission as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army National Guard or U.S. Army Reserve upon graduation.
The Blue Mountain Battalion is comprised of Cadets from Dickinson College, Gettysburg College, Millersville University, Messiah University, Franklin & Marshall and Penn State Harrisburg. Dickinson serves as the host school.
Learn more about Army ROTC and associated Army ROTC scholarships in the details below.
Program Details
Any student may take military science classes, but to contract into Army ROTC, a student must be:
- Enrolled full-time, working toward a bachelor's or graduate degree
- Reasonably physically fit and medically qualified
- A U.S. citizen
- Under age 31 at graduation
- Although the program is designed to start with new first-year students each fall, it is possible to enter the program as late as fall of the junior year. Students with prior military service or those who complete a 28-day summer training camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, may bypass the basic course-level training.
Various types and lengths of scholarships are available including: General merit-based scholarships up to 4 years, for service in the Active Duty Army or the Army National Guard or Army Reserve.
- Scholarship Cadets receive full tuition and fees, a subsistence allowance of $420 per month and a book allowance of $600 per semester.
- Contracted Cadets can earn up to $800 per semester for attaining a B or better in a variety of strategic languages.
- Non-scholarship contracted Cadets receive a subsistence allowance of $420 per month.
- Non-scholarship and some types of scholarship Cadets may also become part of Army Reserve or Army National Guard units while in ROTC to receive additional benefits.
Applicants should apply for the scholarship at the end of their junior year of high school. The application opens on June 7 each summer, and there are three boards that meet to offer scholarships in Oct./Jan./March of the student's senior year.
Go to the Army ROTC Scholarship page and scroll down to How to Apply in High School to get the application process started.
Cadets are expected to complete the following during the program:
- Approximately five hours per week of training during the first and second years
- About 10 hours per week of training for juniors and seniors
- A 29-day summer training course between the junior and senior years
The four-year ROTC program focuses on critical thinking, principles of leadership, management, ethics and military history. It consists of two parts:
- Basic course: Typically taken during the first and second years. Includes one class per week, physical training and a leadership lab.
- Advanced course: Typically taken during the junior and senior years. Includes one class per week, physical training and leadership exercises over several weekends each semester.
- The curriculum includes classroom instruction and practical exercises such as orienteering, paintball, rappelling and field training exercises. In the summer between their junior and senior years, Cadets attend a four-week Advance Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Students are encouraged to round out their education through social, cultural and professional activities outside of class. Opportunities include:
- Study abroad
- Varsity and club athletics
- Ranger Challenge Team (physically challenging competitive events)
- Color Guard
- Voluntary summer training courses
- Government Internships
Students who complete the advanced course are prepared for service as commissioned officers in the active Army, or part-time in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard. Newly commissioned officers must serve in the active or reserve component for 8 years (3-4 years on active duty and the remainder with the Individual Ready Reserve, or part-time with the Army National Guard or Army Reserve).
Cadets may choose from career fields in Air Defense Artillery, Armor, Aviation, Chemical Corps, Corps of Engineers, Field Artillery, Infantry, Military Police, Military Intelligence, Signal Corps, Adjutant General's Corps, Finance, Ordnance, Quartermaster Corps, Transportation Corps, Medical Service Corps, Cyber and Nurse Corps.
Cadets may also compete for the ROTC Education Delay program if they desire to attend Medical School to become a Doctor, Law School to become a lawyer in the Staff Judge Advocate Corps or attend Seminary School to become an Army Chaplain. Cadets who are selected for these programs are on their own to gain admission and cover the costs of schooling. These officers will enter the Army after the completion of their education.
Opportunities exist for specialized summer training, including cultural trips abroad, Cadet Troop Leader Training, Airborne School, Air Assault School, Mountain Warfare School and internships with active-duty Army units or federal government agencies.