ASU Army ROTC program awarded 2021 General Douglas MacArthur Award

ASU Army ROTC graduating cadets seated in a row, wearing ceremonial regalia at the 2019 Spring Commissioning Ceremony.

Graduating cadets at ASU's 2019 Spring Commissioning Ceremony.

By Emily Balli |
March 18, 2022

Arizona State University’s Army ROTC program was recently recognized as one of the top Army ROTC programs nationwide with the 2021 General Douglas MacArthur Award.

Presented annually by the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation, the award recognizes the top eight Army ROTC programs among 274 programs nationwide.

“This honor from the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation represents a huge team accomplishment for the cadre and staff that support the program at Arizona State University daily, but more importantly, for the phenomenal cadets that fill the ranks of the Sun Devil Battalion,” said Col. Mark Olsen of the 5th Army ROTC Brigade.

ASU’s Army ROTC program was selected for a combination of achievement in commissioning mission, cadets' performance during Cadet Summer Training and retention rates. In their last fiscal year, the Sun Devil Battalion added 50 commissioned officers, with program enrollment increasing by 17% in the last academic year.

“ASU’s Army ROTC has now been recognized as not only one of the largest, but among the very best training programs for producing our nation’s next generation of Army officers,” said Paul LePore, associate dean in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“To be recognized as one of the top eight ROTC programs in the country is a testament to the hard work and commitment put forward by our Sun Devil cadets along with the outstanding learning and training environment established by the cadre officers and enlisted men and women that lead ASU’s Sun Devil Battalion.”

The program continues to expand its reach through new universitywide collaborations including the Tactical Athlete Seminar, a three-day program on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus that trains cadet coaches to lead physical training programs in partnership with ASU’s College of Health Solutions.

“The 86-year-old partnership established between Arizona State University and the Army ROTC program is enduring, thriving and all around exceptional. Not only does this exceptional program continue to exceed their assigned mission year after year, they do so with the quality that we demand to succeed on the global stage,” Olsen said.