WHO:
Under Secretary of the Army Joseph W. Westphal, PhD; Lieutenant Colonel James Craig, commander of the Gateway Battalion, St. Louis’ Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), based at Washington University in St. Louis; and a class of 17 cadets being commissioned as new Army officers. With one student already commissioned and two being commissioned in the summer, this year’s commissioning class is the largest in recent Gateway Battalion history.
WHAT:
93rd annual Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony at Washington University. Westphal will preside over the ceremony in which 17 cadets will become commissioned officers in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard. Westphal will also deliver a talk on leadership and the future of the Army and attend a reception for the new lieutenants and their families following the ceremony. Craig, who is an active duty officer, is professor of military science and chair of the Military Science Department at WUSTL. He will present the commissions to the new second lieutenants and administer the oath of office.
WHERE:
Tisch Commons, Danforth University Center,
6475 Forsyth Blvd. on Washington University’s Danforth Campus.
WHEN:
2 p.m. Friday, May 13, 2011
MORE:
Westphal is available for interviews; please contact Sue Killenberg McGinn at (314) 935-5254 to arrange.
Background on ROTC program
St. Louis’ ROTC program, hosted at Washington University, enrolls students from 11 colleges or universities in the St. Louis area. There are 109 active cadets in the program. This ceremony will recognize seniors graduating from Washington University, Saint Louis University, Fontbonne University, Lindenwood University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Background on Joseph W. Westphal
Westphal, who serves as the 30th Under Secretary of the Army, has had a distinguished career of service in both academia and government.
Westphal served as chancellor of the University of Maine System and professor of political science at the University of Maine. He also served as the provost, senior vice president for research and professor of environmental studies at The New School in New York City.
He stepped down from that position to serve as a member of President Barack Obama’s Transition Team for Defense matters in December 2008.
In addition to a distinguished academic career, Westphal has led a prestigious and varied career in public service as well. In 2001, he served as the Acting Secretary of the Army and earlier, he served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works from 1998-2001.
Westphal has had extensive experience working in the U.S. Congress and other departments within the executive branch. He served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Water Resources at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton Administration. Earlier in his public service career, Westphal worked as a policy advisor to the Secretary in the Department of the Interior.
Westphal received a bachelor’s degree from Adelphi University, a master’s degree from the Oklahoma State University and a doctorate in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia.