Davidson and the Armed Forces

ROTC

Davidson College was initially founded as a manual labor school in 1837. Curriculum offerings included subjects such as moral and natural philosophy, evidences of Christianity, classical languages, logic, and mathematics. At this time, military science courses were not offered. This changed during World War I, with the establishment of the Students' Army Training Corps. Davidson, along with five hundred other colleges and universities, instituted military training on their campuses under this program. The SATC turned Davidson into a military training camp which operated under government regulations. The SATC was disbanded in December of 1918, but soon after, the War Department re-instituted the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

Military Department faculty pictured in 1929 Quips and Cranks

In February 1919, Davidson officially inaugurated its ROTC unit with all Freshmen and Sophomores required to take ROTC training. Upperclassmen could elect to continue to take ROTC courses after they fulfilled their required courses in their freshman and sophomore years. In 1968, during the Vietnam War, ROTC became a voluntary elective for all students and was no longer mandatory. 

On our blog, Around the D, you can find entries related to varying aspects of campus life and history. Listed below are select articles related to ROTC and military education at Davidson.

Archival Materials

Archival materials are the institutional records of Davidson College from its establishment in 1837 to the present day. Listed below is a selection of relevant collections related to the history of ROTC at Davidson. Collections are organized by record group, along with a brief description of the collection's contents, and are hyperlinked to the collection's digital finding aid. In our collection, we also have a few artifacts related to the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), including: a name tag, insignia and patch, and a uniform shirt.

President Martin (William Joseph) Records, 1913-1929 (RG 2-11)

Description: William Joseph Martin was the tenth president of Davidson College. The collection consists primarily of correspondence including both incoming and copies of outgoing letters. As president, Martin corresponded with parents of students, students, and alumni. The correspondence with parents and students generally concerns academic preparation, discipline, and student activities. These letters also discuss conditions at the college during World War I and the Student's Army Training Corps.

Military Science (ROTC). Records, 1919- (RG 3-14-1)

Description: Davidson's involvement in military studies began during the First World War, when Davidson, along with five hundred other colleges and universities, instituted military training as the Students' Army Training Corps. In February 1919, Davidson officially inaugurated its ROTC unit with all Freshmen and Sophomores required to take ROTC training. This collection includes drill instruction schedules from 1919, certificates and a postcard from the 1920s, memos and reports sent to campus, and more.