Our history began in 1969 during the Vietnam War.   The program flourished until
1995 when it was closed, due in large part to declining numbers and retrenchment by
the military as a result of budget constraints. More than a thousand students are
estimated to have gone through the program during those years. 

     From 1995 to 2015, the program became a partnership with the Louisiana State
University and A&M (LSU) and Southern University and A&M College of Baton Rouge (SUBR)
Army ROTC Programs.  As a “Satellite Program,” students attended SLU, but were dually
enrolled in the Departments of Military Science at one of the two schools above. 
Students would then attend ROTC classes at the Host University’s campus, as the ROTC
courses were no longer offered at SLU.

     When it was discovered that an average of 5 students per year were enrolling
into Army ROTC at one of the two universities while studying at SLU, talks began to
make SLU an “Extension Program” of the SUBR Army ROTC Program.  Through a partnership between SUBR, SLU, Army ROTC Cadet Command
and the Louisiana Army National Guard (LANG), the program was re-instated in Fall
2016 as an Extension Program.  

     Since its re-instatement, the SLU Army ROTC Program has continued to grow and
commissions between 5 and 7 officers into the Army Active Component, Army National
Guard and Army Reserves each year, with an average of 3 to 5 students per year earning
an Army ROTC Scholarship.   We currently field a Ranger Challenge Team, which placed
first in the state in 2020 against LSU, Tulane, GSU and NSU.  In addition to taking
state that year, we placed 15th in regionals overall and 1st in regionals for HBCUs
and Extension Programs.  With our newly constructed obstacle course, we are hoping
to again place well at state and regionals this year.  In addition to Ranger Challenge,
we provide a Color Guard detail for all major campus events to include sports games
and graduations.  During the Fall Football Seasons, the Army ROTC program has the
honor of escorting the Football Program’s BELL-ON-WHEELS into the stadium, where we
present the colors, and provide a detail to ring the bell while our Push-up Platoon
does push-ups in the end zone when the Southeastern Lions Score!  

     Do you have what it takes to become a part of this great tradition?