Xavier’s ROTC Program selects Matthew Hammer for trip to Tunisia

This summer, Matthew Hammer of Norwood will be one of six cadets the Xavier University Army ROTC Program will send all over the world as participants in the U.S. Army’s Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency (CULP) Program. This is the most cadets ever participating in one summer. The program provides cadets with a 30-day experience in a different country to gain an understanding of different cultures they could find themselves in as officers. Matthew, a sophomore psychology major at Xavier, will travel to Tunisia.

The U.S. Army’s CULP Program is highly competitive and seeks to prepare cadets for cultural immersion through academic projects and missions and leadership development. The program pays for 1,000 cadets to study in 33 different countries.

Xavier University first offered military instruction in 1877. Xavier ROTC has a number of distinguished alumni, including six general officers. Since 1991, Xavier's ROTC program has received the General MacArthur Unit Award eight times. This identifies the top ROTC units among all across the United States, and is based on an assessment of each program, including training, performance, and cadet academic grade point average.