University of Maryland Army ROTC Terrapin Battalion wins 2011 MacArthur Award

	The Terrapin Brigade won one of eight prestigious MacArthur Awards for school year 2010-2011. For high Resolution click on image

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland's Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) department (The Terrapin Battalion) has won one of eight MacArthur Awards for the school year 2010-2011.

The prestigious awards, presented by the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation, recognize the ideals of, "duty, honor and country as advocated by MacArthur.

"The University of Maryland takes special pride in our role in helping to secure our national security, said President Wallace Loh. "From our research centers, to the classrooms, to our men and women in uniform our efforts are well established and highly respected. This award to our ROTC department is an important recognition of our efforts. I congratulate Lt. Col. Cook and the entire Terrapin Battalion for winning this prestigious award.

There are 273 ROTC programs on college campuses in 8 brigades around the United States, as well as in Guam and Puerto Rico. The University of Maryland department represents Cadet Command's Fourth Brigade, which consists of the 38 senior Army ROTC programs in the mid-Atlantic region. The University of Maryland also features the top-ranked Army ROTC cadet in the nation, Mariya V. Golotyuk, of Columbia.

"It's an honor and a privilege to have the University of Maryland's Army ROTC program recognized as the 'top' program within the mid-Atlantic region, said Cook, who is a professor of military science at UMD and the battalion commander. "Earning the distinction as a MacArthur Award Winner truly signifies that the mighty Terrapin Battalion 'has arrived' as one of the premier programs in the nation. Everyone on campus, including faculty, staff, and students, deserves to share in the credit for winning the MacArthur Award. Just as they say, 'Preparation + Opportunity = Success', the faculty and staff produces top quality students/cadets thus ensuring they are Prepared for the Opportunities available through Army ROTC to be Successful."

The award is based on a combination of the achievement of the school's commissioning mission and its cadets' performance and standing on the Command's national Order of Merit List and its cadet retention rate.

Cadet Command and the MacArthur Foundation have given the awards annually since 1989. The award will be presented to Cook and the Terrapin Battalion in the next few months.

Media Contacts:

Lt. Col. Sam Cook
University of Maryland Army ROTC
Professor of Military Science
301-314-7828
scook12@umd.edu

Charles "Mike Johnson
US Army Cadet Command
502-624-3450
charles.johnson@usacc.army.mil

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