News

ROTC students find ‘sense of purpose’ when juggling responsibilities

Amanda Turcotte wakes up for a 12-mile ruck march at Onondaga Lake at 3 a.m. She doesn’t get back to her dorm until around 7:30 a.m. After removing her weighted backpack, she hops in the shower to get ready for class like any other college student, which she is, except for when she attends ROTC classes.

Meet Our 2026 Keynote Speaker,  Lt. Col. Alison Murray ’01, P’26, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Before she was this year’s keynote speaker, Lt. Col. Alison Murray ’01, P’26, U.S. Army (Ret.) was a student on this campus, training as an Army ROTC cadet, cheering at games, and working toward the same milestone our graduates are reaching now. Today, she is still part of the Syracuse community, which makes this moment even more meaningful. As she delivers the keynote address, she will also watch her son, Dwayne II, walk across the stage and join the Syracuse alumni community.  

Hometown Hero: Quynn Sweeney

United States Army Sergeant and current Syracuse University Army ROTC cadet Quynn Sweeney hails from Fulton, New York. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2019 and has been serving on active duty for six years. Quynn initially trained at the 5th Battalion, 1st  Special Warfare Training Group located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to become 37 Foxtrot, Psychological Operations Specialist from 2020 to 2021. She later changed her Army occupational skill to 92 Alpha, Automated Logistics Specialist.

NVRC Hall of Honor Walk: U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dwayne Murray ’92

The Hall of Honor Walk video series features notable people from the military-connected community at Syracuse Univeristy. In addition to learning about the individuals who make Syracuse University the “Best Place for Veterans,” viewers can learn a little bit about the university’s historic commitment to support service members, veterans, and military families.

Hometown Hero: Kat Whitson

United States Army Second Lieutenant Katherine “Kat” Whitson was born in Augusta, Georgia and was raised in Grovetown, Georgia. Kat enrolled at the Georgia Military College in 2022, where she earned two associate degrees while participating in numerous extracurricular activities. Her dedication to academic excellence and service culminated in being named a Distinguished Graduate, graduating summa cum laude at the top of her class. A member of the Army’s Early Commissioning Program (ECP), Kat was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2024.

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Campus Community Invited to 109th Chancellor’s Review and Awards Ceremony

Syracuse University cordially invites the campus community to the 109th Chancellor’s Review and Awards Ceremony, a distinguished event honoring our Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets, on Friday, March 27, 2025, at 9 a.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome, followed by a brief reception at Club 44. This time-honored tradition, inaugurated on May 4, 1917, by Chancellor James R. Day, underscores the University’s unwavering dedication to military service and mirrors traditional military ceremonies that date back to the Middle Ages.

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