UTSA Army ROTC surpasses 500 commissionees with class of 2012

(May 23, 2012) ---Eighteen UTSA students were among the larger group of graduates this month, but these students achieved something extra -- becoming commissioned officers in the U.S. Army. With the commissioning of these cadets, UTSA Army ROTC surpassed 500 commissionees, bringing its total to 517.

Through a combination of physical ability and leadership qualities, the UTSA Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Roadrunner Battalion commissioned the new college graduates as second lieutenants.

UTSA Army ROTC was a detachment of the St. Mary's University Army ROTC program until 1982, when it became an independent ROTC battalion. In recent years, the Roadrunner Battalion has grown to more than 185 cadets from UTSA and Alamo Colleges. The 185 cadets distinguish UTSA as one of the three largest Army ROTC programs in Texas (behind Texas A&M University and Texas Christian University) and one of the 10 largest in the south.

In 2011, more than 6,000 cadets attended the leader development assessment course, Warrior Forge, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. In the course, they were tested against peers from across the nation including cadets from West Point. For the second consecutive year, UTSA cadets exceeded every brigade and national average significant statistic measured at the camp. When compared to other schools in Texas, UTSA ranked No. 2.

For more information, contact Lt. Col. Scott Sonsalla, professor of military science, UTSA Army ROTC, at 210-458-5632.