The University of Colorado Boulder’s ROTC program has won one of eight MacArthur Awards in the nation for the unit’s achievements in the 2011-12 school year.
CU-Boulder was selected as the top unit of the Cadet Command’s Fifth Brigade, which consists of 36 senior Army ROTC programs in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
The awards, presented by the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation, recognize the ideals of “duty, honor and country” as advocated by MacArthur.
“I wish to extend my congratulations to Lt. Col. Rozelle and the fine cadets of the CU-Boulder Army ROTC program,” said CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano. “Their commitment to this life of service, especially in a time of war, highlights yet another example of the CU tradition of service to Colorado and our nation.”
The award is based on criteria including achievement of the school’s commissioning mission and its cadets’ performance and standing on the Cadet Command’s national Order of Merit List, as well as its cadet retention rate.
“Being recognized as a top program in the nation and the top in my brigade is a really big honor for both the cadets and the cadre because it means that at a national level we are performing exceptionally well,” said Lt. Col. David Rozelle, commanding officer of CU-Boulder’s Army ROTC program. “I set a goal for the program to be one of the top 10 in the nation when I came here two years ago, and to have that come true is a significant event in my life.”
The U.S. Army Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation have given the awards annually since 1989.
Rozelle, a three-tour combat veteran of the Iraq war, commands 229 cadets at CU-Boulder and its affiliates.
