Bells and Whistles to Welcome Navy ROTC to Embry-Riddle

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Bells and Whistles to Welcome Navy ROTC to Embry-Riddle

Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 22, 2003 -- In a formal ceremony conducted as prescribed by naval tradition, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will establish its new Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) unit at the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus on Nov. 7.

The 45-minute ceremony, which begins at 9 a.m., will feature the traditional striking of the ship's bell, the whistle of the boatswain's pipe and the Southeast Region Navy Band playing "Ruffles and Flourishes" to announce the arrival of senior officers.

Capt. Ted Wasylkiw, commanding officer of the new Navy ROTC unit, will welcome guest speaker Rear Adm. Ann Rondeau, commander of the Naval Service Training Command. Following her remarks, Rodney Piercey, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Embry-Riddle, will introduce the university's president, George Ebbs, who will present the unit's colors.

The event, which concludes with the ceremonial cutting of a cake by dignitaries using a Navy sword, will be held at the entrance of Embry-Riddles ROTC Building, located at the southeast corner of South Clyde Morris and Richard Petty boulevards.

The Embry-Riddle unit of Navy ROTC has already attracted 88 students -- mostly freshmen -- to its ranks. One in four is a recipient of a competitive national Navy ROTC scholarship. "The turnout was greater than expected," according to Wasylkiw, who says he is confident the unit will grow rapidly, likely exceeding 125 students by next year.

"We were interested in locating at Embry-Riddle because of the technical education and critical thinking skills that can be gained here," Wasylkiw says. "These are the skills needed by those who will lead the Navy and Marine Corps of the future." He said many of the students in the ROTC unit are majoring in technical and engineering degree programs, such as aerospace engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, engineering physics, and software engineering.

Embry-Riddle also hosts ROTC units for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force in Daytona Beach and on its Prescott, Ariz., campus. The university's two Air Force ROTC detachments form the largest university-based Air Force commissioning source in the nation.

Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 25,000 students annually through the master's level at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 130 teaching centers in the United States and Europe, and through distance learning.