History
The Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) began with President Wilson signing the National Defense Act of 1916. Although military training had been taking place in civilian colleges and universities as early as 1819, the signing of the National Defense Act brought this training under a single, federally-controlled entity: The Reserve Officers Training Corps.
Army ROTC is the largest officer-producing organization in the American military, having commissioned more than half a million second lieutenants since its inception.
In April 1986, the United States Army authorized the creation of the U.S. Army Cadet Command. With its headquarters at Fort Monroe, Virginia, Cadet Command assumed responsibility for more than 400 senior ROTC units, four regional headquarters, and Junior ROTC (JROTC) with programs in more than 800 high schools. Cadet Command transformed ROTC from a decentralized organization turning out a heterogeneous group of junior officers into a centralized command producing lieutenants of high and uniform quality. An improved command and control apparatus, an intensification and standardization of training, and improvements in leadership assessment and development helped produce this transformation of pre-commissioning preparation.
Today, Army ROTC has a total of 272 programs located at colleges and universities throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, with an enrollment of more than 25,000. It produces over 60 percent of the second lieutenants who join the active Army, the Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Reserve. More than 40 percent of current active duty Army General Officers were commissioned through ROTC. Of even greater importance is that ROTC-trained and educated officers bring a hybrid vigor to our officer corps by drawing on the strength and variety of our social fabric. Cadet Command accomplishes this by combining the character-building aspects of a self-disciplined civilian education with tough, centralized leader development training. This process forges an officer who manifests the strength of the society from which he or she is drawn as well as the quality of strong officer leadership.
Cadet Command is also responsible for JROTC. Today, there are over 1600 JROTC units and over 274,000 cadets. Both totals are historic highs. JROTC has an enormously positive effect on our youth by helping young people from across the socio-economic spectrum. JROTC is a great program, benefiting the Army, the nation, local communities, and above all, the JROTC cadets themselves.
Texas State University ROTC History
Authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1899, Southwest Texas State Normal School opened its doors in 1903. Over the years, the Legislature broadened the institution's scope and changed the last part of its name to Normal College, Teachers College, College, and University.
Army ROTC has been a part of university life since 1976 when Southwest Texas State University (SWT) signed a cross-enrollment agreement that allowed its students to take military science classes at the University of Texas. The agreement was an instant success. By 1977, with the establishment of the "All Volunteer Force" within the Department of Defense, ROTC became a merit-based scholarship program for students desiring to become commissioned officers. In 1982, SWT added Army ROTC to its own curriculum and the Bobcat Battalion was born. It remained cross-enrolled with UT until 1986 when the program was designated an extension center. In 1996, the Bobcat Battalion won the General Douglas MacArthur Award for the best battalion of its size in the nation. It officially became a host program in its own right in 2000, thus no longer affiliated with UT. Within a few short months, Texas Lutheran University in nearby Seguin became the first partnership school to join the Bobcat Battalion (this relationship ceased in 2026).
In 2003, the name finally changed to “Texas State University – San Marcos,” reflecting the university's growth from a small teachers school to a major, multipurpose university with a growing national reputation. Today, the name is Texas State University, and it offers 104 undergraduate programs, 94 masters programs and 23 doctoral fields of study and has a total student population of more than 45,000.
The Texas State University Army ROTC is rich in tradition and heritage. A lineage of accomplished Army Officers began their careers as a Bobcat. Today, Cadets from Texas State make up one of the finest ROTC battalions in the nation. The Bobcat Battalion continues to offer a variety of scholarships to students seeking to commission in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. The Military Science Department also offers a Military Science Minor as a compliment to any academic major.