Panther Battalion History

The War Department established Army ROTC programs at the University of Pittsburgh in March 1918 and at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1919. An infantry unit was first established for instruction at the University of Pittsburgh until August 1921. In September 1919, a Coast Artillery unit was established along with a Motor Transport unit. The Motor Transport unit was discontinued in 1941 with the outbreak of WWII. In 1943, the Advanced Course was suspended, taken over by a 90-day Officer Candidate School, which produced needed active duty officers instead of reserve officers. The only unit reinstated after WWII was the Coast Artillery, which was converted to Anti-Aircraft Artillery during spring 1946. Additionally, a Corps of Engineers, Quartermaster and Medical units emerged to meet the Army's increased need for specialization.

In 1956, a general Military Science program of instruction was established, ending the specialized units. Presently, the Army ROTC curriculum is set up for general Military Science, offering commissions in all Army branches.

On 1 July 1975, the Department of the Army fused the ROTC programs at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh to form the Pittsburgh Senior ROTC Instruction Group. Since 1922, these two programs have commissioned more than 5,000 officers.
Currently, Panther Battalion is comprised of more than 100 students from seven different universities in western Pennsylvania. The current universities are the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, California University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, Robert Morris University, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Washington & Jefferson College, Carlow University, Chatham University. The program is open to students of any of the 12 colleges or universities in the greater Pittsburgh area.

Leadership Classes

Leadership - Learn about leadership theory, followership, and group interaction in both a classroom twice a week and a lab period. You will develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking abilities, and the ability to use goal setting and feedback mechanisms to succeed in any vocation.

Ethics - Learn about Army leadership doctrine including ethical decision making and the Law of War. The Army values are: leadership, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.

First Aid Techniques - Hands-on basic first aid techniques such as prevention of cold weather injuries.

Map Reading/Land Navigation - Have you ever looked at a map and a compass, and wondered how to use them in the surrounding area? Take this class and you will be able to plot your location on a map, navigate to another location, convert between magnetic and grid azimuths, read a map, use a compass, and terrain associate. These are essential skills to anyone who enjoys hiking, climbing, backpacking, or camping.

Communication Skills - Improve your written communication skills by learning the Army writing style. Give informational briefings to improve oral communication skills.

Basic Rifle Marksmanship - Aim and fire an M-16 rifle. You learn about breathing techniques, how to squeeze the trigger, and how to aim a rifle.

Courses

Leadership Labs

Leadership labs are used to put leadership lessons learned in the classroom into practice in a controlled classroom and/or field environment.