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Scholar, statesman receives Gen. William E. DePuy Award

by Mike Johnson

 Fort Monroe, Va. – An advisor to four presidents who has also been a teacher or administrator at six universities is the latest recipient of the General William E. DePuy Award.

Dr. Greg R. Weisenstein, president of West Chester University, received the award May 4 at a ceremony at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. for his strong support of veterans and, especially, for his support for and effectiveness in bringing an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) presence back to West Chester after an absence of approximately 20 years.

Created in 2005, the award is presented by the U.S. Army Cadet Command annually to an individual who has provided significant support to the local or national Army ROTC, demonstrated support during the past year and provided service or achievement resulting in tangible or intangible benefits to the Army ROTC program.  The DePuy Award is considered the most prestigious award given by Cadet Command, the parent organization of the Army ROTC program.

“I am extremely honored to receive the Depuy Award. Knowing of the many accomplishments of Gen. William E. DePuy makes the award in his name very special to me. It is also humbling to be recognized among the many others who work tirelessly on the behalf of JROTC and ROTC and are all deserving of very special recognition,” Weisenstein said.

Weisenstein has participated in many programs in support of military veterans. Among the most noted of these is the “Troops to Teachers” program, the legislation for which he was one of the original drafters. He also supports events organized by the International Military Alumni Committee.

A member of the Army ROTC Subcommittee, Weisenstein has worked tirelessly to re-establish the program at West Chester.

“In my 26 months as president of West Chester University, I have not encountered a single complaint about our commitment to ROTC and returning veterans. Just the opposite is true, and many of our staff and faculty have themselves served or have immediate relatives serving in one or more branches of the Armed Services,” he said.
As a further example of student support, Weisenstein cited the unanimous support of the Student Government Association for the establishment of the veterans’ student organization at West Chester.

Weisenstein would also like to have West Chester become an Army ROTC host campus, and noted that the school’s commitment is demonstrated by the large increase in ROTC enrollments over the last two years.

“Although we are still seeking our own flag, the university has provided space for ROTC, has offered ROTC courses on camus, and is actively recruiting additional ROTC students,” he said.

Weisenstein visited the Leadership Development and Assessment Course (LDAC) at Joint Base Lewsis-McChord, Wash. in the summer of 2010, and came away very impressed with Cadet Command’s capstone training event for future Army officers.

“As an educator, I was very impressed with the organization of the training programs and their design for preparing the next generation of Army leadership for the challenges that current conflicts present,” he said.

Weisenstein noted the the training exercises focus on both combat strategies and working with local civilian populations.
“We are doing a good job of training our young men and women to provide superior leadership to the best Army in the world,” he concluded.

A graduate of the University of Washington, Weisenstein’s academic career has included service at the University of North Dakota (Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs), Montana State University (Dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Development), University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (Dean of the school of Education), Clemson University (Associate Dean for Research), and University of Oregon (assistant professor of education).

In addition to serving on presidential advisory committees for Presidents Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Weisenstein was among a small number of education deans selected to discuss national education policy with President and Mrs, George W. Bush at the White House in 2002. He also serves as chairperson of the World Bank Education Task Force for the national Association of State Universities and Land-grant Colleges. Working for the Department of State, he was responsible for restructuring higher education in the Republic of Moldova. An experienced international negotiator and facilitator, he was the chief negotiator for international agreements in Brazil and in western, central and eastern Europe, including direct talks with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The Gen. William E. DePuy Award is named after the first commander of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. DePuy was an Army ROTC commissionee (South Dakota State University, 1941) and a strong supporter of the Army ROTC program.

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