Events

The First-Year Student Orientation provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about the program and expectations for the school year, to sign up for uniforms and equipment, to meet faculty and staff, and to tour Dem Hall.

This Student Orientation for current or returning cadets happens every year before the fall semester commences.

Sparticipation is an annual involvement fair to promote opportunities with student organizations, departments, and the broader community to kick start your Spartan’s journey.

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Cadets gather once during the academic year for a healthy session of spiritual exercise. The event’s intent is to create an opportunity for cadre and cadets to come together, to eat together and, of course, to pray together. Cadre and cadets know all about physical and mental fitness and the annual Cadet Prayer Breakfast allows them to pause and evaluate their spiritual fitness.

Since 2014, ROTC cadets from MSU and U-M have joined together to run 64 miles from East Lansing to Ann Arbor, or viceversa and present the home team with the game ball for the rivalry football game.

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Annually, we honor veterans from MSU and the surrounding areas with a joint Army/Airforce service at the MSU Alumni Memorial Chapel followed by a flag lowering ceremony and community outreach.

During Homecoming Week, the ROTC Program participates in the Homecoming Parade, marching and passing candy out to spectators who line the streets.

Field Training Exercises are held over the course of a weekend during which cadets use skills previously learned during leadership labs such as Land Navigation, and Troop Leading Procedures.

The Staff Ride consists of a trip of Army ROTC Seniors and Cadre to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. During this trip, students and instructors visit the Gettysburg National Military Park and Museum. Students are exposed to historic sites and experiences for a truly historic visit.

The Bold Warrior Challenge Team is a Spartan Battalion team consisting of cadets who have earned a place in the competitive team. Its main focus points are leadership development, military skill training, and physical excellence. The Spartan Battalion's Bold Warrior Challenge Team is given the opportunity to compete annually in the fall semester 7th ROTC Brigade Bold Warrior Challenge Competition which tests mental fortitude and agility, military skills proficiency, and personal fitness. The Spartan Battalion trains one team of eleven cadets (nine primary, two alternate) to represent Michigan State University in this challenging event.

From 2013 to 2016, Michigan State University placed first in the 7th Brigade Bold Warrior Challenge Competition and was selected to represent 7th Brigade ROTC in the international Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at West Point.

To join the Bold Warrior Challenge Team, you must pass an initial tryout in the first several weeks of the fall semester and be selected by the team captain to continue training.

The Army’s annual Army Ten-Mile Race and Expo is conducted in our nation’s capital by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington (MDW).  Attracting over 35,000 runners and 900 teams from around the world, the Army Ten-Miler (ATM) exemplifies the Spirit of Sport and the Spirit of a Nation.  Participants include military, civilians, wheel chair athletes, and wounded warrior athletes.   ATM’s mission is to support Army outreach, build morale, and promote physical fitness.  Over 900 Soldiers and 900 volunteers support the Army’s “world class” ATM race. 

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During the Contracting Ceremony, cadets recite the Oath of Enlistment administered by the Professor of Military Science. The first Oath of Enlistment was developed during the Revolutionary War when the Continental Congress established different oaths for the enlisted men and officers of the Continental Army. The first Oath of Enlistment under the Constitution was approved by an Act of Congress on 29 September 1789. It applied to all commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted Soldiers in the United States military.

Commissioning represents the culmination of years of hard work and dedication and marks the transformation from Cadet to Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. During the commissioning ceremony, cadets hear from distinguished military leaders from the U.S. Army or other speakers, and take the Oath of the Commissioned Officer, a tradition dating back to the Continental Army era. Commissioning is a monumental event attended by the Cadets, Cadre, family, friends, university officials, and distinguished guests.

The September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, or 9/11 Day, is a federally-recognized National Day of Service that happens in the United States on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A 9/11 memorial event or ceremony is held on campus every year to honor the victims who perished as a result of the attacks. The Army ROTC Program cadets engage in the display of the United States flag at sports events, the painting of the ROCK, or other community outreach activities.

An MSU Army ROTC Tradition

The Department of Military Science at Michigan Agricultural College was founded during the school year 1884-85. One of the many traditions established since the program's development is the Military Ball, an annual formal dinner-dance hosted by the Spartan Battalion and the Department of Military Science. The Ball evolved from military "hops" which were organized by the Michigan Agricultural College Officers' Associ­ation and were held each term during the early 1900's. In 1909, Cadets were required for the first time to wear their uniforms to the hops. This gave the affairs a distinctly military flair and dramatically distinguished them from other formal social functions on-campus.

In the fall of 1920, the custom of electing coed "sponsors" for Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps was established. Sponsors were formally "crowned" at the winter Coronation Ball, making it the most important social event of the year.

During the early 1970's, with the admission of women into the Army ROTC Program, the sponsor coronations ended and the MSU Military Ball assumed its current form. Today, it serves not only as a premiere campus social event, but also as part of the Cadets' formal education on customs and traditions of the military service.

A variety of awards (medals, ribbons, certificates, etc.) are presented each year to members of the Spartan Battalion. These awards recognize meritorious performance in the areas of military, scholastic, physical, and personal achievement. The awards are sponsored by the Army, national and local societies, organizations, and by private sponsors.

This three-day competition at Fort Knox, Kentucky features an array of timed challenges including army tasks, physical fitness tasks, and critical thinking tests.

Qualifying competitors at the Brigade Ranger Challenge go on to compete in the Sandhurst Competition against a larger number of Army ROTC teams, service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force), and international service academy cadets (UK, Australia, Canada, etc.). 

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