Mission Statement of the BU Division of Military Education
Boston University’s Division of Military Education is entrusted with overseeing the military education of over 250 students enrolled at Boston University or one of our seventeen ROTC partner institutions of higher learning as these cadets and midshipmen prepare to become commissioned officers in the U.S. Armed Services.
In the heart of Boston, in service to the Nation.
Leadership
Office of the Director of the Division of Military Education
- Director: John D. Woodward, Jr. Professor of the Practice, International Relations, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies
- Phone: 617-353-8978
- Email: jdwjr@bu.edu
- Office: 156 Bay State Road
- Assistant to the Director/Business Manager: Jennifer Wilson
- Phone: 617-353-4025
- Email: wilson12@bu.edu
- Office: 128 Bay State Road
- Previous Directors:
- Dr. Douglas Sears (2012-2024)
- Prof. H. Joachim Maitre (1993-2012)
- Ambassador Hermann Eilts (1982-1993)
- Military Education Faculty Committee:
- Dr. Glenn R. Markenson, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Boston University School of Medicine and Director, Center for Military and Post-Deployment Health
- Professor of the Practice Jack Weinstein, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies
- Professor of the Practice Joseph Wippl, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies
- Upon his retirement from BU in 2025, Prof. Igor Lukes stepped down from his membership on the Military Education Committee. His many years of dependable and dedicated service to BU ROTC are much appreciated by all of us who worked with him.
Graduation/Commissioning Dates
- Graduation: The Division of Military Education is especially proud to honor all U.S. military veterans who will be graduating from BU on 18 May 2025.
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Commissioning Ceremonies: The Division of Military Education is pleased to announce the dates/times of the May 2025 commissioning ceremonies for our ROTC cadets and midshipmen. Please note that these ceremonies are by invitation only. If you would like an invitation, please contact the Director of the Division of Military Education or the respective ROTC unit commander.
- Air Force: Date/Time: Saturday, 17 May 2025, 3:00 pm—4:00 pm.
- Army: Date/Time: Monday, 19 May 2025, 10:00 am—12:00 pm.
- Navy/Marine Corps: Date/Time: Monday, 19 May 2025, 4:00 pm—6:00 pm.
Upcoming Events
None.
Announcements
BU ROTC Students Honored by the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company: Massachusetts’ Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company (AHAC)—the oldest chartered military organization in the Western Hemisphere—hosted the Cadets and Midshipmen of Boston University on 22 April for a dinner and ceremony at their Faneuil Hall Armory. The AHAC formally recognized Cadet Basak (Air Force), Cadet Kostyk (Army), and Midshipman Campbell (Marine Corps) for superior performance in their respective ROTC programs. Each was afforded the opportunity to tour the AHAC’s museum, network with members, and learn about the Company’s illustrious history.
Among the many memorable connections forged, the Cadets and Midshipmen met Mr. Marvin E. Gilmore, who at 101 years old is one of the few surviving World War II veterans. Mr. Gilmore stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and went on to found the first Black-owned and operated commercial bank in Boston. His continued service and sacrifice are a powerful reminder of the legacy our Cadets and Midshipmen will strive to uphold as commissioned officers.
U.S. Navy Names Ship for Megan McClung (MET ’06): On 16 January 2025, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced USS McClung (LSM 1) as the name for the first ship in the new McClung-class of medium landing ships. Secretary Del Toro said “I am honored to name the first ship in this class after Major Megan McClung, a selfless leader and hero who embodied the highest ideals of service, honor, and loyalty to our nation.”
This naming honors Public Affairs Officer Major Megan M.L. McClung, USMC, (MET ’06) who was killed in action while serving in Iraq in 2006. Megan received a master’s degree in criminal justice from BU in 2006. The excerpt below is from a tribute published in Bostonia, 23 May 2024.
Megan McClung grew up in a Marine Corps family in Mission Viejo, Calif., and received her officer’s commission from the US Naval Academy in 1995. She left active duty in 2004 and went to Iraq as a private contractor. In 2006, she returned to Iraq as a Marine. That year, she completed her online master’s degree program in criminal justice at BU’s Metropolitan College. According to MET, most of her schoolwork was done in a war zone. She was also a hardcore marathon runner and finished six Ironman competitions.
McClung was assigned to the Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, Camp Pendleton, in California. She died on December 6, 2006, while supporting combat operations in the Al Anbar Governorate province in Iraq.
The US Naval Institute’s magazine Proceedings refers to her as the first female Marine officer to be killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as the first female graduate of the US Naval Academy to be killed in action since the college was founded in 1845.
Her awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.
In May 2007, McClung’s parents attended what would have been her BU Commencement ceremony. That weekend, MET announced a scholarship fund in her name and memory to support students in the online Criminal Justice Program. It is awarded annually to students who exemplify McClung’s academic excellence, strong citizenship and character, and desire to make a meaningful contribution to society.
“Megan served with the mindset of running to the sound of battle, not away from it,” said her former colleague and classmate Colonel Riccoh Player, in an interview with Proceedings. “She accepted every mission, every billet, every challenge with vigor, creative abandon and a find-a-way-to-make-a-way ethos.”
A depiction of the McClung class of medium landing ships can be found here.
Past Announcements
Thanks to Admiral Caudle: The Division of Military Education wishes to thank Admiral Daryl Caudle, the Commander of Fleet Forces Command, who visited BU Naval ROTC to receive a briefing on the program from NROTC cadre and to meet with midshipmen to discuss current issues on 21 Nov.
Congratulations to Dr. Douglas Sears: On October 19, 2024, Dr. Douglas A. Sears of Boston University received the Distinguished Public Service Award, which is the highest award a civilian can receive from the U.S. Department of Defense. Previous recipients include President Barack Obama and the director, Steven Spielberg.
Dr. Sears served as the Chief of Staff to the BU President and as the Director of the BU Division of Military Education from 2011 to 2024. As the Director of the Division of Military Education, Dr. Sears tirelessly oversaw the Army, Navy/Mrines and Air Force ROTC programs at BU and seventeen participating universities and colleges in the greater Boston area. His unwavering dedication to the ROTC mission resulted in hundreds of cadets and midshipmen receiving first-rate training and educational preparation for their commissioning into the Armed Services.
Lieutenant General Joseph McGee (U.S. Army), the current Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, presented Dr. Sears with the award at the BU Pass-in-Review ceremony at Nickerson Field, as Dr. Sears’s spouse, Mary, looked on. Former BU President ad interim Ken Freeman, Associate Provost Maureen O’Rourke, Professor John Woodward, the current Military Education Director, and the three BU ROTC commanders were on hand to extend their congratulations.
Congratulations to General B. Chance Saltzman: General Saltzman, a BU history and BU Air Force ROTC graduate (Class of 1991), received the CAS Distinguished Alumni Award at a ceremony at BU on 28 September 2024. General Saltzman, a loyal Terrier, is the current Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force. He is featured in the Summer 2024 edition of Bostonia available here.
Passing of Rear Admiral Danielle Barrett: It is with great sadness that I report the loss of Rear Admiral Danielle Barrett, (USN Retired), who passed away on 26 August 2024. Rear Admiral Barrett graduated from BU with a degree in history and received her commission from BU NROTC in 1989.She spent her Navy career in a variety of challenging assignments, starting as a Surface Warfare Officer and eventually becoming a leader in cyber defense and information assurance. She retired from the Navy in 2019.I had the privilege of knowing Rear Admiral Barrett. She visited BU on several occasions and served as the keynote speaker at a BU ROTC Navy commissioning ceremony that I attended. We also were co-panelists at a national security conference. Rear Admiral Barrett was extremely bright, thoughtful, considerate, and personable. A Navy trailblazer, she was a true Patriot and a loyal BU Terrier.Shortly before her passing, she arranged to establish a scholarship fund at BU to help NROTC students in financial need and asked that donations in her memory be directed there. The scholarship fund link is listed in her obituary; donors should manually enter Admiral Barrett Scholarship in the comments section.— Prof. John Woodward, Director of the Division of Military Education.
Thanks to the Ancient & Honorables: The Division of Military Education extends its thanks to the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston for hosting eight BU AF ROTC cadets to a special tour of their museum and a dinner at their impressive headquarters at Faneuil Hall on 16 September 2024. The cadets enjoyed interacting with the AHAC members, many of whom are military veterans, and they learned a great deal about military history.
Suffolk University is a New Military Education Partner: The Division of Military Education warmly welcomes Suffolk University as a new Partner Institution of Higher Learning. Suffolk is joining our Air Force ROTC program.
Congratulations to Newly-Commissioned Officers: The Division of Military Education extends congratulates to our 48 newly-commissioned officers of the United States Armed Services.
- 17 Air Force Second Lieutenants
- 1 Space Force Second Lieutenant
- 21 Army Second Lieutenants
- 5 Navy Ensigns
- 5 Marine Corps Second Lieutenants
Thanks: We also extend our deepest appreciation to our distinguished commissioning ceremony keynote speakers:
- Air Force: General Chance Saltzman (BU ’91), Chief of Space Operations, USAF.
- Army: Brigadier General Peter Fiorentino, 42nd Infantry Division, Army National Guard.
- Navy/Marine Corps: General Joseph Dunford, USMC, Retired.
From the Archives
On 29 April 2022, Boston University honored the late William Francis Buckley, BU Class of 1955, with induction into its U.S. Army ROTC Hall of Fame. Buckley, an Army combat veteran of Korea and Vietnam, was one of the CIA’s most highly decorated officers. On a CIA assignment in Beirut, he died in the line of duty at the hands of Iranian-backed terrorists in 1985.
On 17 April 1999, during BU ROTC’s 80th Anniversary celebration, Ambassador Hermann Eilts (left), a U.S. Army WW2 veteran, and CAS Military Science Professor Fred Woerner, the former commander in chief of the U.S. Southern Command, unveiled the ROTC Alumni Memorial on Bay State Road. (Photo by Vin Catania.)