After Klobuchar, Franken, Peterson Urge U.S Army to Keep ROTC Program at NDSU Open, Army Announces Program Will Continue

Press Release

After Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and Representative Collin Peterson urged the U.S Army to keep the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program at North Dakota State University open, the Army announced that the program would not be closed. The unit, which serves students at Minnesota State University Moorhead and Concordia College, will now have two years to prove that it is a viable ROTC program.

"Students in Minnesota and North Dakota that want to serve their country depend on the program at NDSU to receive the training they need to become effective officers," Klobuchar said. "I'm pleased with today's decision by the Army, and I'm looking forward to the Bison Brigade's continued strength and dedication to our country."

"It makes me so proud to come from a state where so many young men and women want to serve their country. I'm very pleased by the Army's decision to keep the pathway to service open through NDSU's ROTC program, which is used by so many students at Minnesota State Moorhead and Concordia College," Franken said.

"I'm happy that the Army reconsidered and will keep this unit open," Peterson said. "These students do an excellent job and I'm proud of their commitment and their service to our country."

Earlier this year, the Army notified the NDSU ROTC that it intended to close it and 12 other programs throughout the country. In response Senators Klobuchar and Franken and Representative Peterson sent a letter to Secretary of the Army John McHugh urging him to reconsider, and pointing out that the battalion is among the top performing in the nation. The decision grants the program a two year probationary period, after which time their status will be reassessed.

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