Photo By Capt. Fernando Ochoa | Almost 80 personnel, including 25 alumnus, three cadre and 50 cadets assembled during...... read more read more
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University conducted a two-day AROTC Alumni Leadership Seminar to help mentor young cadets on the planning of their future with the U.S. Army at Howard Hall on the campus of Florida A&M March 27-28.
Florida A&M University, commonly known as FAMU, is a public, historically black university in Tallahassee, Florida founded in 1887, and is the third largest historically black university in the United States by enrollment.
The event organizer, Lt. Col. Larry Rentz, currently serves as an Active Guard Reserve Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and put this seminar together specifically to discuss what is expected of lieutenants serving in the U. S. Army. The panel was put together with Active Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard Officers.
“The purpose of this event was to provide information to the cadets that we felt would be beneficial for them to know as they plan their future with the U.S. Army,” said Rentz. “I hope this event will lead to an active mentorship link between military alumni of FAMU and the Army ROTC cadets. I would also like this to become an annual event to provide a venue for the alumni to give back to the ROTC program by donating time, energy or money.”
Almost 80 personnel, including 25 alumnus, three cadre and 50 cadets assembled to hear lectures that taught giving and receiving mentorship, understanding Army culture, behaviors and social norms, evaluations, separations and personal financial planning.
The mission of ROTC is to develop the future officer leadership of the U.S. Army and to motivate young people to become better citizens. This includes recruiting, training, evaluating, selecting and commissioning quality people for military service in the Army.
FAMU has eight fully funded, endowed, eminent-scholars chairs, including two in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communications, four in the School of Business & Industry, one in the College of Education, one in Arts and Sciences and one in its School of Pharmacy.
Retired Col. Ronald Joe and Lt. Col. Edwin Escobar, Professor of Military Science, also helped put this gathering together. In a letter to the participants, Escobar noted that leaders play a crucial and integral role in the development of their subordinates; thus, an officer bears immense responsibilities to set junior officers on the right path in their careers.
“Twenty-two FAMU Army ROTC graduates wanted to demonstrate to current ROTC students that they cared for them and want them to understand what it’s like to be a part of our current active and reserve forces,” said Joe.
“This was the first return of a sizeable group of alumni in many years to provide mentoring to FAMU’S Cadets. It was a tremendous weekend due to the outstanding leadership and hard work of Lt. Col. Larry Rentz."
Others leaders included Col. Christopher Wynder, a former Military Police Branch Chief at the Human Resources Command and Army War College Fellow at the University of Louisville, who talked to the cadets about managing their career and leadership. He was impressed by the reception of cadets and could see how much they appreciated so many alumni taking the time to mentor them, seeing how the alumni in attendance were just as enthusiastic about the experience and look forward to coming back for years to come.
“This leadership conference served as an opportunity for cadets to build relationships with alumni who can assist them at the earliest stages of their careers. I am proud to have been a part of this groundbreaking event for the Rattler Battalion,” said Col. Wynder. “I was impressed by the reception of cadets and could see how much they appreciated so many alumni taking the time to mentor them.”
Those who succeed in the Army ROTC program are students who excel and want something more out of the college experience. Generally, these students are scholars who keep their grades up, athletes who are physically strong and leaders who have a great desire to learn and lead others.
Professor Phyllis Taite from the Florida A&M University School of Law and former Ms. Army ROTC and Army JAG Officer, discussed education delay, admission into law school and serving in the JAG Corps. The purpose of her presentation was to provide cadets with a roadmap to a career as a JAG officer. She wanted them to know that no matter the major, the option to obtain an educational delay to attend law school is an option.
“I hope that my presentation will persuade more cadets to pursue a professional education, attend the FAMU College of Law and ultimately lead to more JAG officers of color in the Army,” said Taite.
This seminar was important because the U.S. Army culture teaches Soldiers to train their replacements. The older, experienced Soldiers were happy to pass on their knowledge and wisdom, and the young cadets were happy to met and learn lessons from those who have served their country with honor.
This was the first time an event like this has been held in over 25 years and for many of the alumni participants it was their first visit back to the school in many years. The event was also a time for alumni to have a reunion with old ROTC buddies and build relationships with younger graduates that they had not met.
On October 3, 1887, the State Normal College for Colored Students began classes and became a land grant university. Four years later when it received $7,500 under the Second Morrill Act, its name was changed to State Normal and Industrial College for colored students.
However, it was not an official institution of higher learning until the 1905 Buckman Act, which transferred control from the Department of Education to the Board of Control, created what was the foundation for the modern Florida A&M University.
Maj. Rodney Hankins, Environmental Science Officer from U. S. Southern Command was present and discussed the various programs available in the U.S. Army Medical Department Field for cadets that wanted to pursue careers in AMEDD.
Lt. Col. Rhonda Wynder, a Physicians Assistant and the Command Surgeon for the 84th Training Command at Fort Knox, Ky., and wife of Col. Christopher Wynder, also discussed opportunities for AMEDD officers in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Wynder provided feedback and mentorship as it pertained to Reserve Component and Active Component and focused on the topics of being a female in the military, being a Black female in the military and areas of Concentration and Career and Profession Development Opportunities in the AMEDD.
“My greatest accomplishments are being married to an Active Component Military Police officer (Col. Christopher Wynder) for 21 years and raising five daughters,” said Wynder. “We mentored, watched them grow and imparted the desire in them to serve their country. We are very proud.”
The feedback from the cadets was overwhelmingly supportive and gracious. Many MS IV cadets wish they had this information a few years earlier. Upperclassmen stated that the mentoring event would be valuable for freshmen and sophomore cadets to participate in as well. The event was a huge success and alumni, cadets and cadre are looking forward to the next event.
Lt. Col. Theodore O. White, assistant Chief of Staff, United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command at Ft. Bragg, pointed out that ancillary goals of this event were to discuss the opportunities the Army affords, the unique challenges and benefits of the profession and to show the cadets that through hard work and mastery of their craft they can have a successful Army career.
“The development of mentor/mentee relationships is key to the development of junior officers,” said White. “As they enter any branch of the Army, having a senior mentor to provide honest feedback and guidance is the cornerstone of professional and personal development.”
FAMU was named the number one college for Africans Americans in the United States in the September 2006 issue of Black Enterprise Magazine and a “Best in the Southeast” college by Forbes Magazine in 2014.
The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) provides college-trained officers for the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. The mission of ROTC is to develop the future officer leadership of the U.S. Army, and to motivate young people to become better citizens.
| Date Taken: | 03.28.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2015 18:04 |
| Story ID: | 162332 |
| Location: | TALLAHASSEE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 461 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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