In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Army ROTC, the University Archives, in collaboration with the Terrapin Battalion, present an exhibit tracing the history of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) on campus.
On June 3, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Defense Act, creating the Army ROTC. Instruction in Military Science at the University of Maryland (UMD) began at least as early as 1868, but the introduction of ROTC saw the birth of a program that produced Army officers during both World Wars. Army ROTC returned to UMD in 2003, 53 years after its departure in 1950, and resumed its place in the campus community. Today, the battalion is 100 cadets strong.
These objects and documents can only briefly testify to Army ROTC’s impact over the past 100 years by highlighting leadership development courses, collegiate teams, campus events, and notable alumni like Ralph Davis, the ROTC cadet who wrote the UMD fight song.
Visit the exhibit in Hornbake Library’s Maryland Room throughout the month of August. Learn more about the Army ROTC at the University of Maryland by visiting armyrotc.umd.edu.
Special Collections & University Archives 
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