Upon completion of the oath, administered by Brig. Gen. Douglas R. Satterfield, commander of the 412th Engineer Command, family members pinned gold bars on the shoulders of the new second lieutenants:

• Andrew Burger (Buffalo, N.Y.)
• Adam Burns (North Tonawanda, N.Y.)
• Sean Clough (St Louis, Mo.)
• Stephan D’Urso (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
• Kyler Dabolt (Varysburg, N.Y.)
• Thomas Eggert (Lockport, N.Y.)
• Skylar Fairchild (Trumansburg, N.Y.)
• Daniel French (Mt. Airy, Md.)
• Cy Hibsch (Attica, N.Y.)
• James Kemnitz (Mumford, N.Y.)
• James Kerins (Youngstown, N.Y.)
• Samuel Lee (Glastonbury, Conn.)
• Michael Lowitzer (West Seneca, N.Y.)
• Justin Morris (Fruita, Col.)
• Matthew Mulvihill (Middletown, N.Y.)
• Daniel Palazzo (New Windsor, N.Y.)
• Grace Phillips (Temple, Texas)
• Ethan Rugani (Lancaster, N.Y.)
• David Saxton (Wayland, N.Y.)
• Jaimee Schweigert (Canandaigua, N.Y.)
• Marc Skill (Dayton, Ohio)
• Phillip Sutton (Lockport, N.Y.)
• Nicolas Zehr (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)

The most memorable portion of the ceremony was when Senior Airwoman Chelsea Hibsch arrived in time from Korea to render the traditional first salute to her brother, 2^nd Lt. Cy Hibsch. Her arrival was a surprise to her brother and parents.

According to Lt. Col. Paul T. Dansereau, a professor of military science at NU, this class exemplified the terms:

• Scholar, by maintaining a class average cumulative GPA of 3.46.
• Athlete, by achieving the third-highest Army physical fitness test score among the 41 ROTC programs in the Northeast during last summer’s Leader Development and Assessment Course.
• Leader, by actively participating as representatives in the Niagara University Student Government Association and Sigma Alpha Sigma Presidential Honor Society, as well as various other clubs and activities.

The new officers joined the less than 1 percent of the United States population who have sworn to serve and protect the nation. They are part of an even smaller percentage of the Army who are responsible for the health, welfare and training of the nation’s sons and daughters during a time of continual conflict and uncertainty.

The Army ROTC program is designed to augment the college learning experience by identifying and developing future leaders. Its primary goals are to identify, instruct and commission young men and women for service as officers in the United States Army Reserve or the Army National Guard. Intermediate goals include providing students with the managerial skills necessary to organize and effectively run a student club, small business, or an Army platoon.

Over the last eight years, Niagara has been ranked in the top 10 percent of Army ROTC programs in the United States. The Purple Eagle Battalion’s rise to excellence culminated in 2004, when it was the top-ranked program in the nation.

Additional photos from the commissioning ceremony can be viewed on Niagara University’s Facebook page.

As part of the Second ROTC Brigade Senior Leader Conference held Jan. 7-10, 2013, the Purple Eagle Battalion was recognized for achieving the highest overall average ranking on the 2012 National Accessions Order of Merit List within the Second ROTC Brigade.

The Second ROTC Brigade consists of 41 senior ROTC programs located across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Scores for cadets are based on a formula that incorporates:

• Cumulative GPA through the spring semester of the cadet’s military science III year (typically the spring semester of junior year).
• Physical fitness performance during the cadet’s time in ROTC.
• The cadet’s leadership performance on campus.
• Participation by the cadet in the ROTC program.
• Evaluation of the cadet during a 29-day leadership development and assessment course that occurs in the summer of their military science III year.

“Our cadets’ commitment to excellence, the professionalism of the Niagara University ROTC cadre and the overwhelming support of the university community has enabled the program to achieve this award as well as to continue to add chapters to the program’s legacy,” stated Lt. Col. Paul Dansereau, professor of military science.

Related to the achievement is that 46 of the 69 contracted/enrolled cadets of the Purple Eagle Battalion earned Dean’s List recognition during the fall 2012 semester.

“The prioritization of academic performance provides cadets with the greatest amount of future opportunities in a career as an Army officer,” added Lt. Col. Dansereau. “In the near term, their cumulative GPAs are directly related to their overall ranking on the National Accessions Order of Merit List, which determines selection to active duty and Army branch opportunities. In the long term, their grades may foster opportunities to compete for selection for U.S. Army’s fully funded graduate school programs.”

Niagara University’s Army ROTC program is consistently ranked among the best in the country, garnering the No. 1 standing in the U.S. in 2004 for recruitment, retention and quality of training.

Military alumni of Niagara include two Medal of Honor recipients, Gen. William Donovan and Lt. John Bobo, and a humanitarian nominated for sainthood, Father Nelson Baker. Being in close proximity to Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and the regional Military Entrance Processing Station, Niagara is responsive to the unique needs of military students, veterans and dependents.

Niagara University participates in the Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.

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

Prior to being deployed, Burdick was required to write a research paper and prepare a presentation on Bulgaria, learning much about the Southeastern European country and its history in the process.

“I was very excited to be participating in such a once-in-a-lifetime affair,” Burdick said.

By July, Burdick was on his way to Fort Knox, Ky., to connect with his cadre and cadets. The group spent four days undergoing a series of briefings, medical processing and team-building exercises. Then it was off to Sofia, Bulgaria.

During his three-week stay, Burdick took part in tours, watched an aerial military demonstration and met the U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria. He and his colleagues spent five hours a day teaching English to Bulgarian military officers, who ranged from captains to colonels.

“I can attest to the fact that the U.S. Army CULP deployments are life-changing,” said Burdick, a junior from Oswego, N.Y.

Burdick was one of six Niagara University students to partake in CULP, a program for ROTC cadets to spend up to three weeks immersed in foreign cultures, learning more about how other others around the world view the U.S. and, in the process, learning more about themselves.

In 2012, 1,200 ROTC cadets traveled across the world and participated in Cadet Command’s CULP program. Participants are chosen based on their academic and physical performance, and at the recommendation of their lieutenant colonel.

For Erica Crane, an NU junior from Lockport, her CULP experience took her to Bangkok, Thailand, for three weeks in June to teach at a school for children with special needs. Crane and a cadet from Dayton University were put in charge of more than 40 children, ranging in age from 3 to 20.

At the beginning of each day, Crane and her partner would teach the entire school an English word of the day. They also taught some of the special needs students how to swim, a task that she says proved to be difficult because of the language barrier and the students’ physical and mental disabilities.

Regardless, Crane hopes to make a return trip someday.

“My experience was something I’ll never forget,” Crane said. “It was a great experience that enabled me to learn about another language and culture, experience another military installation and teach students. I look forward to visiting again in the future.”

Closer to home, junior Mitchell Willie, of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., was involved in airborne training in Fort Benning, Ga. That’s correct – Willie spent his summer learning how to land safely after jumping from a C-130 aircraft.

And despite calling it his greatest experience as a cadet, his time in Georgia wasn’t all peachy.

Willie discovered that he was allergic to Tide during his trip, forcing him to borrow uniforms from his friends until his clothes could be rewashed. Then, during a physical training exercise, Willie found himself lying on a fire ant hill that wasn’t visible in the dim morning light. His friends helped slap them off quickly to mitigate the biting. Lastly, Willie bumped his knee on a piece of equipment during a detail, leading it to swell to the point where it couldn’t be bent. His fellow cadets, once again, were there to help, making repeated runs to retrieve ice until Willie’s swelling lessened.

“People join the Army for a variety of reasons,” Willie said. “I personally became a cadet to meet the best men and women our country has to offer, and to call some of those individuals my dear friends. It certainly is hard to beat a bond where you will jump out of a perfectly fine aircraft with someone. Airborne stands as a life accomplishment for myself and will always be one of my most cherished memories.”

Niagara University’s ROTC program, for years, has been ranked among the best in the United States. The Purple Eagle Battalion was the top-ranked program in the nation in 2004, and recently placed nine cadets on the National Order of Merit List.

For more information on the ROTC program at Niagara University, please visit http://purple.niagara.edu/rotc.

Due to the national holiday falling on a Sunday this year, the Niagara University community celebrated Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 12, with a program honoring those who have sacrificed to preserve the freedoms Americans hold dear.

The event also served as an opportunity for representatives from NU, the 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council and the Binational Economic & Tourism Alliance to formally unveil and dedicate a commemorative plaque for the Niagara University 1812 Bicentennial Peace Garden, located between St. Vincent’s and Alumni halls. The garden commemorates the 200 years of peace between Canada and the United States following the War of 1812.

“We look as this garden as a contemplative place where students, faculty and community members can look across the border and ponder 200 years of peace,” said the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., president of Niagara University.

The peace garden initiative has been undertaken as part of the 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Project, an overarching effort to commemorate the 200-year anniversary of the War of 1812. According to the Binational Economic & Tourism Alliance, the Peace Garden Trail is designed “to attract international visitors as well as residents of this historically significant crossborder region to experience and enjoy the natural beauty that a garden provides while commemorating the peace that has existed between Canada and the United States over the past 200 years.”

Arlene White, executive director of the Binational Economic & Tourism Alliance, added, ”This is the 24th of 24 peace gardens that we’ve dedicated this year throughout the Great Lakes area, and I can’t think of a more fitting spot for the final one to be dedicated than this binational location at Niagara University.”

Brian Merrett, C.E.O. of the 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council, also spoke during the 30-minute event.

“We want to thank Niagara University for hosting this garden,” he said. “What a great resource we have here, so close to the international border.”

For more information on the Peace Garden Trail, please visit www.binationalheritagepeacegardentrail.com.

Nine cadets from the Second Brigade, Purple Eagle Battalion made the National Order of Merit List by placing in the top 20 percent of competitors:

• Andrew Burger (of Buffalo, N.Y.)
• Adam Burns (North Tonawanda, N.Y.)
• Kyler Dabolt (Varysburg, N.Y.)
• Thomas Eggert (Lockport, N.Y.)
• Skylar Fairchild (Trumansburg, N.Y.)
• James Kemnitz (Mumford, N.Y.)
• Matthew Mulvihill (Middletown, N.Y.)
• Jaimee Schweigert (Canandaigua, N.Y.)
• Marc Skill (Dayton, Ohio)

Only one other college placed more cadets among the top 20 percent.

In addition, Dabolt, No. 52, Schweigert, 77, and Eggert, 82, placed within the top 100 of all finishers. No other second brigade had more than one cadet among the top 100.

The Cadet Command Accessions Board meets annually to determine the order of merit list score of all 5,592 cadets that will graduate and commission from Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2013. The order of merit list places each of the cadets in relation to the others based on academic and leadership factors.

Following a 29-day training assessment, cadets are scored by their grade point average, performance in a national leadership course and in specific leadership dimensions, observations made by ROTC instructor cadre and physical fitness test scores. The cadets are then given an overall rating of Excellent, Satisfactory, or Needs Improvement.

Burger, Dabolt, Eggert, Mulvihill and Schweigert each earned Excellent ratings while Burns, Dabolt, Kerins and Sutton received Recondo Badges, which are granted to cadets with the highest levels of competence in military skills and abilities.

As a unit, the Purple Eagle Battalion scored a 280 on the physical fitness test, good for third among 41 programs in its brigade and 25^th of 272 institutions nationwide.

“I have always tried to live by the motto ‘deeds not words’ and I believe that the measured metrics reinforce that Niagara University ROTC is as strong a program as there is in the Northeast,” stated Lt. Col. Paul Dansereau, professor of military science. “The environment created at Niagara University by the faculty, staff and administrators as well as by my team’s professionalism, provides the purpose, direction and motivation to the cadets to strive for excellence. I am very proud of their efforts and I believe they will pass along the skills and knowledge to continue to sustain the exemplary performance of the Niagara University ROTC program.”

Niagara University’s Army ROTC program is consistently ranked among the best in the country, garnering the No. 1 standing in the U.S. in 2004 for recruitment, retention and quality of training.

Military alumni of Niagara include two Medal of Honor recipients, Gen. William Donovan and Lt. John Bobo, and a humanitarian nominated for sainthood, Father Nelson Baker. Being in close proximity to Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and the regional Military Entrance Processing Station, Niagara is responsive to the unique needs of military students, veterans and dependents.

Niagara University participates in the Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.

For more information on Niagara University’s ROTC program, please visit http://purple.niagara.edu/rotc/.

Troops to Teachers (TTT) is a national program designed to transition eligible military personnel to a new career as teachers in targeted public schools across the country.

The free, public presentation takes place at 3 p.m. in the Multi-purpose Room of NU’s Gallagher Center. All current and prospective students are invited to attend, especially those considering education as a major.

Financial assistance may be provided through the program to eligible individuals as stipends up to $5,000 to help pay for teacher certification costs or as bonuses of $10,000 to teach in schools serving a high percentage of students from low income families. Participants who accept the stipend or bonus must agree to teach for three years in targeted schools in accordance with the authorizing legislation.

“Troops to Teachers is a very valuable opportunity for veterans and school districts,” attests Col. Barron, the TTT program manager for New York and Pennsylvania. “These teachers not only are prepared in terms of the curriculum, they also bring structure, leadership and cultural sensitivity to the classroom.

“Veterans serve as strong role models for their students and can help alleviate the shortage of qualified teachers in math, science, special education and other critical subject areas.”

Troops to Teachers was established in 1994 as a Department of Defense program. The National Defense Authorization Act transferred the responsibility for program oversight and funding to the U.S. Department of Education in 2000 but continued operation by the Department of Defense. TTT is managed by DANTES, an education initiative to support the armed forces.

Shortly after earning a degree in transportation from NU, Col. Barron received her Army commission from the university’s ROTC program. She has since served the nation in times of both war and peace, having been mobilized and deployed overseas three separate times.

Col. Barron has also graduated from the U.S. Army Transportation, Adjutant General, and Civil Affairs branch qualification courses and the United States Army Command and General Staff College. She also possesses a master’s degree in education from Cabrini College.

For more information on this event, please contact Niagara University’s Veterans Services Office at 716.286.8341 or ude.aragainnull@ylaehr.

While many of these returning veterans are able to take advantage of the benefits offered by the G.I. Bill, the government subsidies often do not cover the entire cost of a veteran’s education.

In response, alumni from Niagara University’s class of 1980 have established the Sergeant Major Fred E. Kirtchen Memorial Scholarship Fund, an endowment that will financially assist returning veterans who are attending NU.

Sergeant Major Kirtchen graduated from Niagara University in 1980 while assigned as an instructor in the department of military science. During his military career, he was decorated for valor in Vietnam and rose to the highest levels of responsibility in the Army. A proud Niagaran, Sergeant Major Kirtchen continued his education after retiring from the army and maintained a close relationship with military alumni. In 2010, he was posthumously inducted into Niagara University’s Military and ROTC Hall of Fame.

Niagara University’s student veterans’ organization (SVO) recently presented a $500 check to the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., NU president, in support of the scholarship.

“We have held a few fund-raising events and very pleased to be able to make a contribution to the Sergeant Major Kirtchen Memorial Scholarship Fund,” stated Andrew Rodems, president of the SVO at Niagara, the first organization of its kind from Western New York to become affiliated with the Student Veterans of America.

For more information on the Sergeant Major Fred E. Kirtchen Memorial Scholarship Fund, including how to donate, please contact Howard Morgan, director of advancement services, at 716.286.8772 or ude.aragainnull@nagromh.

To learn more about the benefits that Niagara University offers to military veterans, please contact Robert Healy, veterans’ services coordinator, at 716.286.8341 or ude.aragainnull@ylaehr.

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2011, the Catholic and Vincentian university participated in Remembrance Day National Roll Call, a national event that called for a synchronized reading of all the names of the Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom casualties. The names were read by students, faculty, staff, community leaders and members of the Niagara Falls Air Base’s 914^th Airlift Wing.

“When you consider the fact that Veterans Day falls on a once-in-a-century date this year – 11/11/11 – this is the ideal time to publicly acknowledge those brave men and women who have fought fearlessly for our freedom,” said Robert Healy, Niagara University’s veterans services coordinator. 

Each participating campus organized its own reading of names and observed a simultaneous nationwide moment of silence at 8 a.m. More than 117 schools in 48 states, plus the District of Columbia, participated in the event.

Niagara University began reading names in chronological order at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Multipurpose Room on the Gallagher Center’s lower level. The recitation of names continued until approximately 4:30 p.m. At 1:45 p.m., there was a pause for reflection, the singing of “Amazing Grace” and, at 2 p.m., the campus joined all participating schools with a minute of silence before resuming the recitation of names. The event concluded with the playing of taps.

In between, a special Veterans Day Mass took place at 12:15 p.m. in the Alumni Chapel.

The Remembrance Day National Roll Call was sponsored nationally by the Veterans Knowledge Community of NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. NASPA is a 12,000-member association for the advancement, health and sustainability of the student affairs professionals. The Veterans Knowledge Community (VKC) mission is to advocate for best practices to help student veterans successfully transition to college. As the National Roll Call sponsor, the goal of VKC was to have at least one institution in each of the 50 states participate in the event.

Lt. Col. (Ret) Brett Morris, the National Roll Call coordinator, said, “We wanted to rally campus communities across the nation to send a powerful message to the troops currently serving that their peers have not forgotten their sacrifices, or those of the fallen.”

“The reading of individual names is very poignant because it emphasizes the significance of each and every life lost,” said Morris, a retired Army officer and the associate director for veterans affairs at Eastern Kentucky University. “Like the names inscribed at the new 9/11 Memorial in New York, each of the fallen deserves to be remembered for their sacrifice. There is no effort to raise money or promote individual programs. The event is simply to honor those who have sacrificed so much on our behalf.”

In September, Niagara University was designated as a “Military Friendly School” for a second straight year by G.I. Jobs magazine. The designation signifies that Niagara University is among the top 20 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide that are doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students.

In addition to traditional Alumni Weekend festivities – a golf tournament, dinner dance, class reunions, campus tours and more – the 2011 edition will feature a ceremony commemorating the nation’s servicemen and women. Graduates of Niagara’s ROTC program who were commissioned, called to active duty and served during a war will be individually recognized and thanked for their service. Maj. Gen. Vincent E. Boles, ’76, the highest-ranking graduate of Niagara’s ROTC program, will provide the keynote address. The Pantheon of Warriors event will take place immediately following the ROTC Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday morning.

“We are privileged to have an opportunity to annually honor the men and women who have shown to be proficient in the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program,” said Jaclyn Rossi, Niagara University’s assistant director of alumni relations. “With this year’s Alumni Weekend occurring shortly after the 10^th anniversary of 9/11, we felt like this was the ideal time to especially recognize the NU alumni who have proudly served the United States during a wartime period.”

The Niagara University Alumni Weekend Food Drive will also return for a second year, with all proceeds benefiting the Heart, Love & Soul soup kitchen in the City of Niagara Falls. Attendees are encouraged to donate a nonperishable food item at any event during the weekend.

Below is the full schedule of events for Niagara University’s Alumni Weekend:

Friday, Oct. 7

• 10 a.m.  27^th Annual Golf Tournament
• 11:30 a.m.  Castellani Art Museum Tour
• 2:30 p.m.  Class of 1951 Anniversary Mass
• 4:15 p.m.  Monument Ceremony with Class of 1951
• 4:15 p.m.  Dedication of Vietnam War Memorial Plaque by Class of 1961
• 5:30 p.m.  Class of 1961 Golden Eagle Mass & Celebration
• 5:30 p.m.  Class of 1951 Anniversary Dinner
• 7 p.m.  Welcome Back Party           

Saturday, Oct. 8

• 8 a.m.  Coffee Bar & Breakfast
• 8:30 a.m.  ROTC Hall of Fame Induction
• 10 a.m.  Pantheon of Warriors
• 10 a.m.  Campus Tour
• 10 a.m.  Renewal of Marriage Vows
• 10 a.m.  Annual Awards Presentation
• 11:30 a.m.  ReunionFest Lunch at the Grill/Wine Tasting/Build-a-Bird
• 1 p.m.  Campus Tour
• 1 p.m.  Sigma Theta Tau Induction
• 2 p.m.  Nursing Alumni Reception
• 5:30 p.m.  Class of 1986 Silver Eagle Reception
• 6 p.m.  Alumni Dinner Dance at the Conference Center Niagara Falls

Sunday, Oct. 9

• 9 a.m.  Coffee Bar & Breakfast
• 11 a.m.  Alumni Memorial Mass

To learn more about Alumni Weekend 2011 and/or to make reservations, please contact Niagara University’s Office of Alumni Relations by phone at 716.286.8787 or via email at ude.aragainnull@inmula.

By being designated as a “Military Friendly School” for 2012 by the “premier publication for military transitioners,” Niagara’s continuing efforts to provide high-quality educational opportunities to veterans will be nationally recognized. A full story and detailed list of Military Friendly Schools will be highlighted in the magazine’s annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools, and on a poster, both of which will be distributed to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in September 2011.

“It is an honor for Niagara University to be included on this list for the second year in a row, especially with our proximity to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station,” remarked Robert Healy, Niagara University’s Veterans Services Coordinator. “As a veteran, I understand the unique challenges facing service men and women, and am proud to assist them in transitioning to a new career.”

G.I. Jobs polled more than 8,000 schools across the country to compile its 2012 guide. Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students, and academic accreditations.

“On behalf of the 8 million military members and veterans seeking a school, I thank you for your commitment to educating our nation’s most deserving heroes,” said Rich McCormack, Publisher of G.I. Jobs.

Niagara University has a long history of honoring and supporting military students, veterans and their families. The Lewiston-based university supports a U.S. Army ROTC program, which was ranked No. 1 in the country in 2004, and participates in the Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.

Military alumni of Niagara include two Medal of Honor recipients, Gen. William Donovan and Lt. John Bobo, and a humanitarian nominated for sainthood, Father Nelson Baker. Being in close proximity to Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and the regional Military Entrance Processing Station, Niagara is responsive to the unique needs of military students, veterans and dependents.

For more information about Niagara University’s efforts to assist American veterans, please visit www.niagara.edu/veterans or call 716.286.8341.