North East Pennsylvania Battalion The University of Scranton
	U.S. Army ROTC

The program we now know as the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) was instituted in 1916 during the First World War to prepare leaders for military service in Europe.  In 1951, during the Korean War, ROTC began at the University of Scranton. In the 50's, the University was all male and everyone had to take ROTC for the first two years.  The Cadet Regiment was over a thousand strong.
 

Cadet Band circa 1960 Click to Enlarge Photo

In the 1960's ROTC became voluntary and the University became co-educational. Cadet enrollment declined significantly. In the early 1990's the cadet population numbered around 100. In 1994, the battalion was renamed the "North East Pennsylvania Battalion". In 1995 Father Panuska, the University President, put major emphasis on ROTC.
 

Cadet Band circa 1960 Click to Enlarge Photo

Several incentives, such as free room and board were approved for students who won high school ROTC Scholarships and the University became an Army Partner in Nursing Education. In 1997, the North East Pennsylvania Battalion won the Best ROTC Unit Award competing against 130 other ROTC battalions in the First ROTC Region. In 1998, the program became one of the first in the nation to approve a Minor in Leadership based mainly on the ROTC program. The battalion strength was about 145 by 2003 and will probably stabilize at that level. Graduates of the North East Pennsylvania Battalion have supported the nation with distinction. Our graduates have fought in Vietnam, Panama, and Saudi Arabia. Currently we have graduates serving in Bosnia, Kuwait, Korea , Afghanistan, and Iraq.