Oregon State University Army ROTC

Prior to the Civil War, the small number of officers the Army needed was provided by West Point and a few other colleges. With the expansion of the Army to unprecedented size for the Civil War, the need for trained officers quickly exceeded the number available. As a result, Congress passed the Land Grant Act of 1862 which specified that courses in military tactics should be offered at colleges established as a result of the Act. Corvallis College (now Oregon State University) was founded in 1858 as an Academy supported by the Methodist Church. In 1868 it was named a Land Grant Institution, and by 1872 the first Cadet Corps as formed under the command of Captain Benjamin D Boswell, an active duty officer an extended leave in Corvallis. In 1911, McAlexander Fieldhouse, one of the oldest buildings on campus, was dedicated to Major (later Major General) Ulysses G McAlexander, then the Professor of Military Science and Tactics. The National Defense Act of 1916 expanded and standardized the training of officers, colleges and universities and established the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in essentially the same form as it is known today. This program replaced other military training at OSU in 1917 and continued virtually unchanged until 1962 when ROTC became voluntary. Historically, all physically qualified male OSU students were required to take the first two years of ROTC instruction. The program took a significant step forward in 1973 when women were allowed to enroll. Today, OSU ROTC continues the tradition of the “West Point of the WEST”, the nickname earned during WW II the Corps produced more officers than any other nonmilitary academy in the nation. Our ROTC graduates continue their proud history of dedicated service to the nation, while other cadets accept the challenges of the ROTC program as they prepare to be tomorrow’s leaders.