JCU ROTC

What is ROTC?

About the Program

Founded in 1916, ROTC stands for Reserve Officer Training Corps. It’s a college program offered at more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the United States. ROTC prepares young adults to become Officers in the U.S. Army.

Go Army

Tuition

ROTC provides significant college scholarships that cover tuition, books and fees, and monthly stipends for those that compete for the opportunity. It also provides significant opportunities for students to develop strong leadership skills, with the goal of being commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army. In the end, it continues to create leaders for the nation, both in and out of uniform.

Curriculum

Army ROTC is an elective curriculum you take along with your required college classes. This training gives you the tools and experiences that will help you succeed in any competitive environment. Because Army ROTC is an elective, you can participate your freshman and sophomore years without any obligation to join the Army. You will be able to have a normal college student experience like everyone else on campus, but when you graduate, you will be commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army and have a professional career awaiting you.

Meet the Cadre

LTC James Wheeler

Lieutenant Colonel James Wheeler currently serves as the Professor of Military Science of the Cleveland ROTC Program hosted by John Carroll University. He was commissioned as a Quartermaster officer in 2006 from the University of Toledo Army ROTC Program.

Learn More About SFC Evans >>

CPT Keanu Gerald

Captain Keanu Legeh Gerald, a Virginia Beach native, has served in the U.S. Army since 2015 with key roles in Reserve operations and personnel management. She now serves as an Assistant Professor of Military Science (APMS) at John Carroll University, where she helps develop the Army’s future leaders.

Learn More About SFC Evans >>

SFC Craig Evans

Sergeant First Class Craig Evans, a native of Punta Gorda, FL, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2003 as a Cavalry Scout and has served in multiple leadership and instructional roles, with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Korea. He now serves as a Senior Military Science Instructor at John Carroll University, where he helps develop and mentor the next generation of Army leaders.

Learn More About SFC Evans >>

Ashlea Sikon

Mrs. Sikon commissioned as a Signal Corps Officer in 2006 and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, holding leadership roles in Female Engagement Teams and Human Resources operations before transitioning to the Adjutant General Corps and later the National Guard. She now serves as the Recruiting Operations Officer (ROO) at John Carroll University, where she helps prepare the nation’s future Army officers.

Learn More About SFC Evans >>

Cadet Life

As a Cadet, you will experience:

Physical Training (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 0630-0730)
Military Science Class (Once a week, anywhere from one to three hours.)
Leadership Lab (Thursday morning 0630-0900)
Dining In and Military Ball (One per semester in the evening.)
Field Training Exercises (One per semester over the weekend.)
Army Schools (Airborne, Air Assault, Cultural Immersion, Studying Abroad.)

Cadet Testimonials

“No two weeks in ROTC is the same as any other week. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have PT at 6:30 in the morning, but every day the training is different. It could be a four-mile run, some weightlifting, or other kinds of physical training. On Tuesdays, I have a class to learn about what the Army is, and also what my job in the Army will be like. Obviously I am brand new to the Army, so this is nice to help me learn things I’ve never been taught before. Every Thursday we have a leadership lab at 6:30am to run through training on anything from basic first aid to land navigation. Though that is the majority of the training that we do, FTX is usually some of the best training that we get. Field Training Exercises are weekends where we go out to the woods and train as if we were in a hostile environment from Friday morning to Sunday evening. This is a great opportunity to prepare for Cadet Summer Training, which we attend in between MS3 and MS4 year. Every week in ROTC is different from the last, but each week is just as valuable as the one before.”

Abby Murray, a First-Year Cadet

“On a typical day 6:00 a.m. rolls around, and we are out of bed getting ready for physical training at 6:30 a.m., where we are pushed to surpass our goals. After an hour of working out, we transition to a regular college student, and attend classes for the day. Following a day full of classes and homework, I have some time to relax before my soccer practice from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Classes are challenging, and it can be tough at times, but as a Cadet, we are able to balance the ROTC workload, academics, our sports teams, and our social lives. There is a reason we are held to a higher standard. We are disciplined, as well as capable of taking on a lot more than others every day because we have the strong desire to be the best.”

Joshua Maassel, a Second-Year Cadet

“A week in the life of an ROTC student starts every week with Physical Training. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday start at 0630 and PT runs for an hour. Usually after a solid workout, the chain of command passes on information necessary for the week’s training, or for future events. Tuesday’s see juniors and seniors at their military science classes from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., where they organize the week’s training, prepare orders, and learn doctrine and tactics to become an officer in the United States Army. Thursdays are for hands-on lab training, which are three hours long from 6:30am-9:30am. All this is balanced with various clubs, sports, jobs, and other activities that a normal college student may undertake.”

Andrew Osagie-Erese, a Third-Year Cadet

“Monday begins with an hour-long workout, and then you begin your student-school day. That is essentially how your days go. ROTC work in the morning, tied in with your class work the rest of the day. Monday night, you make sure everything is in order for your Tuesday morning training meeting and Military Science class. Tuesday morning’s class usually runs from 6 am. to 9 a.m. With that meeting done, you basically know what needs to happen the rest of the week. Wednesday you have another hour workout in the morning, and Thursday morning you put all of the planning to good use as you help facilitate a training lab for freshman, sophomores, and juniors which is another three-hour session. Friday is the final hour workout for the week, and you begin to look ahead to next week.”

Karen Cheung, a Fourth-Year Cadet

Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4