Niagara University ROTC program places in top 20 percent on Order of Merit List

The ROTC program at Niagara University continues to prove why it's considered one of the best in the nation.

Results released Oct. 22 from the United States Army Cadet Command's Cadet Accessions and Branching Board show the Purple Eagle Battalion placed in the top 20 percent on the National Accessions Order of Merit List.

The NU ROTC program's OML score of 75.8 placed it eighth in the 2nd Brigade, ahead of every institution of higher education in Western New York. The only college or university that scored higher than NU in New York was St. John's University, another Vincentian institution.

The OML is the national outcomes metrics ranking that is compiled by Cadet Command. Based on a formula, each ROTC cadet is scored on grade-point average, performance in a national leadership course and in specific leadership dimensions, observations made by ROTC instructor cadre and physical fitness.

Every cadet in the nation is then ranked to determine in which military category and branch they will be placed.

The Niagara University Purple Eagle Battalion had 80 percent of its cadets who elected to compete for active duty Army commissions accessed on to active duty. The U.S. Army Cadet Command average for active duty officer accession was less than 52 percent.

For more information on Niagara University's ROTC program, visit http://purple.niagara.edu/rotc. To learn more about services that NU offers for veterans, go to www.niagara.edu/veterans.