ROTC History & Philosophy

SOU Army ROTC is committed to creating leaders of the nation, for the nation. We will accomplish this through our continued focus on recruiting, training, and retaining Scholar, Athlete, Leaders comprised of individuals who strive to be part of something larger than they are at present. Scholarship is the primary tenant of our approach to leader development. Every successful leader is a student their art and relies on a foundation of scholarship in the application of their unique leadership style. Athleticism, the second tenant of our philosophy leverages more than one’s physical abilities; athleticism incorporates mental toughness.

It is the expression of one’s ability to be mentally and physically stronger than the competition; a competitor who is willing to face adversity and push beyond their perceived physical limit even when that limit seems insurmountable. The third and final component of our philosophy is leadership. We believe everyone has the ability to lead in one capacity or another. Those who desire to hone their leadership skills and become leaders of their communities, regions, states and our great nation are those whom we seek to train. These tenants underpin and establish the reasons why SOU Army ROTC is committed to creating leaders of the nation, for the nation.