The History of Army ROTC at Penn State Erie
Penn State Erie The Behrend College has a long history with the Army ROTC program. Having a highly successful Army ROTC on campus during the 1980s and early 1990s, we are pleased to see the return of the Army ROTC program to Penn State Erie. Penn State has long held a strong relationship with the Army ROTC program and Penn State Erie is again proud to offer this opportunity to our students.
Military training has existed at The Pennsylvania State University since the University's founding in 1855. The Agricultural College of Pennsylvania (which became the Pennsylvania State College in 1874) was one of the first participants in the 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act, which offered federal land to colleges in return for college-sponsored military training. Military training was offered for the first time in 1863. The instructor was a civilian with military training experience. It wasn't until 1878 that a full-time Professor of Military Science was assigned to Penn State.
During the Civil War, cadets were deployed in response to the Confederate invasion. In June 1916, the National Defense Act formally created an ROTC unit at Penn State. Until World War I, military instruction consisted principally of drill, with an occasional lecture on a subject of military interest. No theoretical instruction was presented, nor any academic credit given.
Following World War II, the military curriculum was expanded to include instruction in all the branches of the Army and ROTC units were established at the Berks and Abington-Ogontz Campuses. Later, Altoona and Hazleton Campuses added Army ROTC to their curriculum. In 1978, Lock Haven University became an extension college of the Penn State ROTC system.
In 1955, specialized training for cadets was abolished and replaced with General Military Science training. In 1960, the Wagner Building, the current home of the Nittany Lion Battalion, was opened. In 1962, the University Senate voted to end mandatory military training for male students. Women joined the program in 1972.