Army ROTC - Spartan Company to Remain on University of Dubuque's Campus

DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque will continue its tradition of preparing student-leaders of the future through its Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) - Spartan Company on campus.

An extension unit of the Army ROTC program at the University of Northern Iowa, Spartan Company will be realigned as an extension unit with the University of Iowa's Army ROTC program starting the 2026-2027 academic year.

The updated guidance from the U.S. Army Cadet Command comes after it announced in summer 2025 that UD's Army ROTC would be inactivated as part of a "strategic rebalance and optimization" impacting ROTC programs across the country. UD officials including Retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Rick Ernst, director of the Sergeant Jeffrey B. Dodge Veterans Center on campus, advocated for ROTC to remain at UD and inquired about the logic used for closing such programs.

"Producing military leaders is a rich part of our University of Dubuque community dating back to the World Wars. From the Navy's V-5/V-12 officer programs to Army ROTC since the Vietnam Era, through the 1990s, and in its current posture, it is part of our heritage and DNA as an institution," Ernst said. "As a veteran and military family, my spouse, Christina, and I are also the proud parents of two UD ROTC commissions - our son, Rick (C'10, MBA'17), and daughter, Amanda (C'12). We are pleased that this great tradition of military affiliation will be carried on well into the future."

Spartan Company is committed to academic and leadership excellence as graduates are prepared to serve as commissioned officers, leading the next generation of the U.S. Army. The program is designed to provide an understanding of fundamental concepts and principles of military art and science while also helping students develop leadership and managerial potential.

"Army ROTC was the greatest opportunity academically, physically, and career-wise," said Cadet Ethan Barden, a junior human health science major from East Moline, Illinois. "It enables me to go to school on scholarship and continue my education in medical school, allows me to stay physically fit with regular workouts and challenges, and provides many different careers when I graduate and commission as an officer."

Army ROTC was first offered on UD's campus in 1981 to 1991 as an extension unit of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's ROTC program. It was deactivated before appearing on campus once more after a 10-year hiatus in 2001 as an extension unit with UNI. The original group of cadets from the reactivated program were commissioned in 2004. Since then, UD's Army ROTC has commissioned 161 cadets as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army and assigned to branches such as engineer, field artillery, military police, ordinance, quartermaster, and more.

A desire to build on leadership skills, learn valuable lessons beyond the classroom, and challenge herself both mentally and physically led Cadet Delisha Davis, a junior wellness and exercise science major from Reklaw, Texas, to join UD's ROTC program. Some of her favorite memories of the program so far revolve around field training exercises (FTX) in which cadets currently partner with their sister battalion at UNI for a weekend each semester to learn and reinforce team, squad, and platoon level tactics.

"What I have gained through ROTC are friendships, life lessons, and leadership skills," Davis said. "I have made so many new friendships through ROTC with people that are strong and resilient. I have learned more about myself and how I can push through hard things and keep going even when I feel like I cannot go anymore. It has also taught me how to be a good leader for when I am an officer in the Army."

Outside of the classroom, UD's ROTC program offers cadets a variety of activities such as volunteering to help students during New Student Move-In Day, participating in the Color Guard, competing with other Army ROTC Ranger Challenge teams from across the county on a non-tactical course, and more. At the core of it all are the values of citizenship, national and community service, personal responsibility, and servant leadership.

"... The mentorship that you gain and enact through your superiors and subordinates in the program allows you to develop leadership skills for your future within the Army and any other future careers you'd like to pursue," Barden said.

ROTC is a college elective that students may try out for up to two years with no obligation. At UD, the program is open to not only UD students but also Loras College students.

"If you're on the fence about joining ROTC, try it out. You have nothing to lose and you'll walk away with leadership and character development if nothing else," Barden said. "ROTC is genuinely a fun and interactive program. If you have any questions, anyone within the program would be willing to help you out!"

For more information about UD's Army ROTC program, please visit https://www.dbq.edu/ROTC.