ROTC New Building Ribbon-cutting
Aug. 31: Pres. Ross Hosts University's ROTC Program Ribbon-Cutting for New Building
By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Program (AFROTC) program at Alabama State University will soon have a new home. The University will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 31 for the new headquarters for AFROTC Detachment 019 students. President Quinton T. Ross, Jr. will be joined by Air Force Brigadier General Terrence Adams at the ceremony. Adams is the first Detachment 019 alumnus to achieve the rank of general officer.
Detachment 019 commander, Lt. Col. Lisa Boyer, explains that the 8:30 a.m. event will take place at the entrance of the new ROTC building, located adjacent to the ASU campus at 1300 Carter Hill Road.
"The entire Hornet Nation family is invited to attend this momentous event with us, as also are the cadets and affiliated members of Auburn University-Montgomery, Faulkner University, Troy University and Huntingdon College, all of whom have ROTC members studying at ASU since the University serves as the headquarters for all higher education students in the Montgomery area who are cadets within the Air Force ROTC program," Boyer said.
NEW BUILDING STARTS NEW CHAPTER
Boyer believes that the new building will allow ASU's ROTC program to begin a new chapter in the life of Detachment-019. The commander commented that she "loves" where ASU's Donald Dotson (vice president of Facilities Management and Operations) and President Ross are taking the building.
"In one word, I would say that having this new building represents a vision of growth," stated Boyer. "It is a space that is worthy of potential growth and use by its cadets and students. Alabama State University likely had other priorities that needed to be done, so I am grateful that President (Quinton) Ross allowed the continuation of this project. This new facility is a step in a grander scheme and in a fantastic direction, which will help us attract more students to attend ASU and the other schools, so as to join the ROTC program, which will allow Detachment 019 to become even larger in the future."
The ROTC commander said that while they have had classroom instruction in the past in the program’s previous facility, the new building is a place that is more conducive for students to lead each other in staff meetings, conduct physical fitness, and perform and practice drills.
HISTORY WAS MADE AT ASU'S ROTC PROGRAM
Detachment 019 is Montgomery's first and only college Air Force ROTC program. Founded in 1971 at ASU, it has now been in existence almost 52 years, noted Howard Watkins (ASU ‘80), a member of the executive board of the Detachment's alumni association.
"It was a big deal in 1971 when Alabama State University was selected as the site of Montgomery's first ever Air Force ROTC program, and all these years later, Detachment 019 is still the only Air Force unit on a Montgomery campus, having prepared hundreds of students and cadets to become Air Force officers upon graduation," Watkins said.
WHAT THE BUILDING MEANS FOR STUDENTS
Today, each Detachment 019 cadet can potentially qualify for tuition scholarships up to $18,000, as well as stipends, book allowances, and a military team of coaches to help them transform from students into leaders of excellent character.
"Money and scholarships aside, Alabama State University is a fantastic institution and I want students to leave here proud to say they were commissioned through the University's Detachment 019 and earned a degree at a world-class institution, which is The Alabama State University," Boyer stated with enthusiasm.
For more information on Detachment 019's alumni association, click: https://www.det19aa.
To learn about Brigadier General Terrence Adams, the first ASU Detachment 019 alumnus to achieve the rank of general officer, hit this link: https://www.af.mil/
News media contact: Kenneth Mullinax, 334-29-4104.
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