The Department of Military Science has been a successful program since its founding in 1884. Many MSU student have joined the ROTC program, Spartan Battalion, and have learned valuable life-long lessons to help them be successful in their chosen profession and in life. The students are able to learn leadership skills in a different environment and apply them to everyday life through training and exercises.

Major Richard Barnes is battalion plans officer and an assistant professor of military science with the MS III cadets. He has accumulated over 18 years of experience as an Army Engineer and holds master’s degrees in both public administration and engineering management. He has shared his experience in the Army and teaching in the ROTC program at MSU:

1. How did you first decide to go into the Army?

I decided to join right after High School. College really wasn’t something that was expected in my family so I enlisted with the Army College Fund option to pursue school at a later date. I realized shortly after joining that I really enjoyed the military style of life and that I would rather be an officer than an enlisted soldier so I worked on my education through night classes and on the weekends and eventually earned my degree and commission.

2. What are three lessons you learned working as an Army Engineer that have helped you in other aspects of your life/career?

a. You must have quality every step of the way, it’s almost impossible to improve anything once the foundation is laid.

b. Everyone has a different understanding of what an Engineer (you) does, you have to figure out what it is that your boss thinks that you should be doing and focus on that.

c. Things don’t always go as planned but you can generally fix things if you put your mind to it; don’t let yourself be defeated by a first attempt.

3. How did you first become involved in the Spartan Battalion, MSU’s ROTC program?

One of my friends I served with in Iraq was an MSU Alumni who was coming back to the ROTC department to teach. About 2 years later I was available for reassignment and applied for a position at MSU as well. All applicants have to be approved by both the Army and Michigan State to get an assignment here.

4. What would you say students get out of the ROTC program that they wouldn’t get out of a normal college experience?

I can’t really attest to every program out there but some of the more unique things we offer are as follows;

This is a Cadet/Student run organization. The Battalion (with Cadre guidance) is run by the Senior (MS IV) class. They run weekly training meetings to determine how/when major training events will occur. They make changes and corrections as they go to best serve the battalion. Curriculum is not locked in stone and changes occur as the requirements change.

Cultural Experience. We have sent cadets all over the world in both a student and Cadet capacity. Some past trips include Slovakia, Panama, and Russia. There will be opportunities this year for an additional 12 countries during the summer semester.

Adventure Training. Some of our cadets have attended extensive training in mountaineering, parachuting, and rappelling. In addition they participate in team skills competitions designed to test them both mentally and physically.

On the job training. During the summer after their Sophomore and Junior years they have an opportunity to “shadow” an officer in the field they are interested in before they commit to their career field.

100% hiring rate…

5. What are some lessons you try and instill in your students in your military science classes?

Leadership responsibility; I can fail but the team always succeeds. Each failure of an organization can be found at the leader’s level but success can only come with the effort of the entire group.

“A Way” versus the “The Way”; Leadership is an art and not a science. We can show you a way to do it but ultimately you have to figure out what way works for you.

Would you recommend students to look at the ROTC program here at State and why?

I absolutely recommend students look at the ROTC department at MSU. First thing of course is the fact that this is Michigan State which means you are already starting with a quality organization. Here at MSU there are more training opportunities here than any other university mainly due to the fact that this is the largest land grant university in the world and as such affords a lot of space for training. We have a great building in Demonstration Hall in that we have an indoor arena for physical fitness training, rappelling, and classes. Additionally we have space to conduct a land navigation course and situational training exercises. Students should know that there are no requirements for a specific degree and that any degree field at MSU that results in a bachelor’s degree or higher can qualify for an ROTC scholarship.

Could you describe what you do as battalion plans officer?

Plan, resource, and execute the training for 180 cadets to include daily instruction, weekly labs, and one field training exercise per semester. I provide mentorship to the Cadet Battalion plans officer to ensure that they meet the training requirements necessary to develop our Cadets into future Army Leaders.
What do the students do after graduating from the ROTC program?

Students that successfully complete the ROTC department have three different opportunities. The majority go on active duty but a smaller amount will go on to serve in the National Guard or Reserves. Active Duty assignments are a full time job while those that choose the National Guard or Reserve serve one weekend a month while maintaining their civilian job. Cadets choose which path they go onto. Active duty assignments are competitive and not everyone will be offered the opportunity to go active duty.

In your opinion, what makes a successful ROTC student?
A person with strong interpersonal skills. In the ROTC department we look at cadets through 17 different leadership attributes but ultimately a strong leader must be able to interact well with others.

What values can students in the ROTC program apply to a successful work environment?

The Army culture has a base of 7 values to include Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. In addition you will find that a Student that completes ROTC training will also bring to the table:

Strong leadership skills in that they will be able to successfully interact with others to motivate others to accomplish the goal.
Excellent team members dedicated to the team’s success
Disciplined to be on time and ready to go.
Thinks outside of the box

You can look into Spartan Battalion for more information at the website: http://armyrotc.msu.edu/index.html