Military Science/ROTC

Army ROTC

Whitworth students may elect to participate in Army ROTC through a partnership program with Gonzaga University. Coursework requires travel to the Gonzaga campus, which is located 6 miles south of Whitworth.

The ROTC program is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Army, Gonzaga University and Whitworth University. It provides training and qualification for leadership positions in the Regular Army, the U.S. Army Reserve or the Army National Guard. A student may earn a commission as an Army second lieutenant while achieving a college degree in the academic discipline(s) of his or her choosing. Cadets incur no obligation during their first two years of ROTC and are not members of the U.S. Army (unless they are ROTC scholarship winners). Lower-division courses are open to all Whitworth students.

The objectives of the program are to prepare academically and physically qualified scholar/athlete/leaders for the challenge of serving as commissioned officers in the U.S. Army. To that end, the program stresses building leaders of character and competence to serve their country and community.

The program meets the country’s requirement for officer-leaders in the Army (active duty, National Guard and reserves). It is, therefore, multifaceted, with distinctive sub-elements to meet individual needs and requirements. For example, ROTC is traditionally a four-year program, but individuals with prior service, members of reserve or National Guard units, participants of JROTC in high school and summer Leader's Training Course participants may receive advanced placement credit and may complete the program in two years. All students typically enroll in one military science class, the leadership laboratory and the Military Physical Fitness course each semester. The program consists of two phases: the basic (lower-division) course, usually taken during the freshman and sophomore years or completed through advanced placement credit, and the advanced (upper-division) course.

Basic Course: First- and second-year courses, MI 101, 102, 201 and 202, are designed for beginning students who want to qualify for entry into the advanced course and for students who may want to try military science without obligations. In addition to their academic requirements, basic-course cadets may participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. Placement credit for the basic course may be granted to students who have completed initial entry training for the armed forces, three years of Junior ROTC in high school, or the ROTC Basic Camp at Fort Knox, Ky. MI 101 and 102 concentrate on fundamental skills, concepts, values and problem-solving and provide an overview of how the military fits into society. MI 201 and 202 more thoroughly address problem-solving, critical-thinking, communication and conflict-resolution skills.

Advanced Course: The advanced course consists of MI 301, 302, 401 and 402. It is open only to students who have completed the basic course or earned placement credit (see above). Students must also enroll in leadership labs (301L, 302L, 401L or 402L) and Military Physical Fitness (303, 304, 403 or 404). Students also attend the four-week cadet summer training program during the summer between their junior and senior years. In addition to meeting their academic requirements, advanced-course cadets provide student leadership for the Gonzaga Bulldog Battalion.

Completion of the basic course, advanced course and cadet summer training, combined with a bachelor’s degree from the university, qualify cadets for a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Financial Assistance

Contracted students receive a stipend of $420 a month for 10 months (September through June). This allowance is also available to all non-scholarship cadets enrolled in the Army ROTC Advanced Course. Contracted cadets also receive $600 per semester for books (fall and spring).

Scholarships

Freshman- and sophomore-level students may compete for Army ROTC campus-based scholarships. These scholarships are applied to tuition and fees and also provide an allowance for books. A student need not be enrolled in ROTC to be eligible to compete for two- or three-year scholarships. No commitment to the U.S. Army is made until a scholarship is accepted, the student meets all administrative and physical criteria, and the oath for contracting is administered. High school seniors interested in applying for a four-year scholarship typically submit applications by Jan. 10 of their senior year. More information and the application process can be found at www.goarmy.com/rotc/scholarships.html. Finally, there are also two-year scholarships for students in two-year graduate programs. 

Fees, Uniforms and ROTC Texts

A lab fee is the only fee associated with participation in the ROTC program. Uniforms and other equipment are furnished without charge. Students are responsible for, and must return, all government property issued to them.

Extracurricular Activities

Color Guard: The Gonzaga University Color Guard participates in a variety of school and civic functions during which precision drill or presentation of the U.S. flag is appropriate.

Intramural Sports: The ROTC program sponsors teams that participate in flag football, volleyball, basketball, softball and other sports in Gonzaga and Whitworth universities' intramural leagues. The program sponsors special-event teams at both Gonzaga and Whitworth and supports cadet intramural teams as coordinated by Whitworth cadets with the professor of military science.

Special Qualification Training: Advanced-course and select basic-course cadets may participate in confidence-building courses such as Air Assault School, Airborne School, Northern Warfare Training Center, and Cadet Troop Leadership Training at various military locations around the world.

Note: Purchasing an annual Washington State Parks Discover Pass for classes is highly encouraged for personal vehicle parking for labs. Passes are $35 per year.

Air Force ROTC 

Whitworth students may elect to participate in Air Force ROTC through a partnership program with Washington State University. Coursework requires travel to the WSU campus in Pullman, which is located 82 miles south of Whitworth. Whitworth will provide transportation to the WSU campus at no additional charge to Whitworth students. 

The standard AFROTC program is four years in length, and is broken down into two sequential phases:

1. The General Military Course.  The General Military Course consists of freshman and sophomore-level cadets. Participation in the General Military Course does not incur a military obligation unless the cadet accepts an AFROTC scholarship. After successfully completing all General Military Course requirements, cadets compete for placement into the Professional Officer Course.
2. The Professional Officer Course.  Upon selection, but before entering the Professional Officer Course, cadets must successfully complete their General Military Course capstone exercise known as Field Training. Professional Officer Course cadets are rising juniors and seniors who are actively engaged in developing and executing training programs within the cadet wing.
3. Selection into the Professional Officer course is competitive, and is dependent upon:
   • Medically cleared to serve in the armed forces
   • Physical Fitness scores
   • Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Scores
   • Completion of Field Training
   • Recommendation of the Professor of Aerospace Studies

Dept. Chair/Prof. of Military Science-Army

LTC EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ

Assistant Prof. of Military Science-Army

LTC KEVIN NOGLE

Recruiting/Enrollment Officer-Army

LTC (R) ALAN WESTFIELD PHD

Commander-Air Force

LTC NICKOLAS JEFFERS

Captain-Air Force

JACOB SPILLERBENJAMIN SEXTONJOHN ANTHONY FORD