ROTC Ribbon-Cutting!

University's ROTC Program Ribbon-Cutting for New Command Building Well Attended 

By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU 

The beginning of a new era took place on Aug. 31 as the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Program (AFROTC) Detachment 019 at Alabama State University held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new headquarters located at 1300 Carter Hill Road for the use of cadets and staff.  

The detachment's commander, Lt. Col. Lisa Boyer, who presided over the well-attended affair, was joined by ASU President, Dr. Quinton T. Ross, Jr., Air Force Brigadier General Terrence Adams (the first Detachment 019 alumnus to achieve the rank of a general officer), Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Colonel (ret.) Gregory L. Clark, and many other University dignitaries including Trustee Delbert Madison, military officers and Detachment 019 alumni. 

"In my Air Force career, this has been among my highest honors to take the baton of leadership across the finish line to make this new chapter in the history for our well- respected cadet detachment a reality with the ribbon-cutting ceremony we are hosting today," Boyer stated. "This new student-cadet facility has instilled an extra measure of pride for our cadets and will simulate for our cadets what it is like to be an officer in the Air Force with our command officers having individual offices, a heritage lounge that speaks to our mission here and of the storied historic past of ASU, a virtual reality room that simulates flying and a series of top-notch classrooms to grow and learn the academics, which are required to receive one's commission in the U.S. Air Force." 

The cadets of Detachment 019 are composed of not only Alabama State students, but also the affiliated cadets who attend Auburn University-Montgomery, Faulkner University, Troy University and Huntingdon College. 

ASU IS PART OF THE SOLUTION

ASU's Colonel Clark, himself a retired full colonel in the United States Army, believes that ASU and the cadets have a symbiotic relationship. 

"In my official capacity, this ribbon-cutting ceremony and the new building that ASU President Quinton Ross has obtained for them, shows the University's commitment to partnering with the student-cadets and with the Air Force, so that students are well trained and upon graduation, serve our nation," Clark said. "Knowing that we give them the platform, in their new command headquarters we are officially opening today, will better allow them to support and defend our nation once they are commissioned, which gives us great pride both for them and for Alabama State University being a part of the solution." 

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/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/2783143/terrence-a-adams 

News media contact: Kenneth Mullinax, 334-229-4104.