Since it's conception, U of L Army ROTC has specialized in training leaders, for both the Army and the community at large. Although located in Dougherty Hall on Louisville's Belknap Campus, the Cardinal Battalion extends beyond the University of Louisville with partnerships including Bellarmine University, Sullivan University, Spalding University, Jefferson Community and Technical College, and Indiana University Southeast. With these satellite schools taken into consideration, the program has over one hundred active members all pursuing a commission in the United States Army.
While degree programs for each student range from Political Science to Humanities, and from Nursing to Engineering, almost all departments and academic majors can be found within our ranks. This diversity is something that makes ROTC unique, allowing a marketplace of ideas and leadership techniques to blend and interact, developing not only the soldier, but the student and the citizen as well. Even the most experienced cadets, those with years in service and numerous deployments, learn from their peers who may have entered college straight from high school.
Cardinal Academically, our program retains and graduates 90% of all students, 50% above the university average, and while graduation is important; our student's median GPA far exceeds that of most campus organizations, proving that graduation and academic excellence are our top priorities. Socially, cadets in our program are encouraged to participate in fraternal organizations, intramural or collegiate sports and campus life in general, with the belief that the college experience only bolsters an individual's potential. While the Army may not be for everyone, students involved with the Military Science program stand tall above the rest, with honor and integrity that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. The Cardinal Battalion is proud of where we came, where we are, and where we are going. Here leadership excellence isn't just a motto, it's a way of life.
