Bobcats Answer the Call

ROTC At Ohio University

The Reserves Officers' Training Corps, better known as ROTC, is a group of brave and bold Bobcats on the Athens campus who have answered the call to serve their country and earn a college education. The ROTC program at Ohio University boasts impressive facts and figures, and graduates lead meaningful and fulfilling lives with careers in the military or using the skills they learned in their respective programs. The program has helped countless Bobcats come to Ohio University and be able to afford a high-quality education while learning the knowledge and skills needed to be an officer in the United States Service Branches following graduation.

Disclaimer: It is not the intent of Ohio University to imply an endorsement by any service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Army ROTC - The Bobcat Battalion 

OHIO's Army ROTC provides a robust training program, considered one of the best in the nation. Nationally, about 40 percent of Army ROTC cadets earn an active duty commission after graduation, but 60-70 percent of Bobcat Battalion graduates typically become active-duty Officers when they graduate from OHIO.

Bobcat Battalion Highlights:

• In the past seven years, the battalion has produced three cadets ranking in the national Top 10 out of 274 programs and 6000 commissioned annually despite its low proportion of scholarships.
• The program produced the highest number of Distinguished Military Graduates in the brigade this past year while also having the highest number of cadets receive the RECONDO badge (based on demonstrated military skills) this year. 25% of cadets received the top-ranking category at advanced camp (13.7% national average) with three cadets being ranked number 1 in their cohort.
• Ohio University Army ROTC has placed in the Top 3 of the Bold Warrior Ranger Challenge competition in four of the past five years and earned the MacArthur Award as the number 1 program in the region in 2017. In the past five years, the program had the 4^th highest ratio of top-performing cadets to lower-performing cadets at camp in the brigade.

Today, the program boasts more than 94 cadets with an average graduation of 23 per year (far above similarly sized public schools). The Army leans on this program to help achieve its commissioning mission each year. A large percentage of each Senior Commissioning Class is designated as Distinguished Military Graduates. This means OHIO cadets consistently graduate in the top 20 percent of all AROTC cadets in the nation.

The Army ROTC Endowment Fund

The Army ROTC Endowment Fund is designed to create an ongoing funding stream for Army ROTC cadet services and support. Your contribution will join others to assist members of the battalion each semester who may not have enough educational benefits to complete their degree or who may be experiencing financial difficulties. 

The Air Force ROTC - The Bobcat Wing

The mission of Detachment 650 (The Bobcat Wing) is to recruit, develop and commission trustworthiness, selfless, and professional Second Lieutenants for the nation. 

Upon course completion and graduation, our cadets commission as active-duty second lieutenants and serve in the nation in a multitude of exciting career fields and duty locations. 

Bobcat Wing Highlights:

• In 2022, Det 650 commissioned 12 cadets, the most since 2010, including two distinguished graduates (top 10% of graduates nationwide).
• In 2021, three of the eight graduates were commissioned into critically-staffed career fields – one Combat Rescue Officer (special operations) and two Weather Officers.
• In 2019, Det 650 was selected as the region Small Detachment of the Year (one awarded to each of four regions nationwide).
• Detachment diversity historically exceeds Ohio University's minority percentage.
• Within the last year, our cadets, who are simultaneous members of the national guard, have provided Ohio COVID-19 support and deployed to support missions in Europe and the Pacific.

The Air Force ROTC Fund

The Air Force ROTC Fund is maintained to support The Bobcat Wing and its cadets. Your contribution will assist in making The Bobcat Wing soar to new heights. This year, the primary focus of The Air Force ROTC Fund is to provide crucial scholarship support to help bridge the gap in educational benefits and access.

Your generous gifts to this OHIO campaign will help ROTC students succeed in their academic careers and beyond

You've answered countless calls to service. You have set standards and raised the bar so high for the Bobcats to follow you. You have learned so much from this program, and it is something that does not go unnoticed. Your service, dedication, and love for the program and the University have proven true endlessly. The ROTC program is a program that will live on forever because of its students and alumni. 

• Make a gift here, in support of this Bobcats Answer the Call crowdfunding campaign.
• Mail a check (payable to The Ohio University Foundation) to The Ohio University Foundation, PO Box 869, Athens, OH 45701; be sure to write either Air-force ROTC or Army ROTC on the memo line.
• Talk with Tori Marshall about a transformational gift to support these funds.
• If you want to explore making a charitable gift to this campaign with a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA), giving via a Donor Advised Fund or stock transfer, please reach out to Nick Belt.