Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson, president of Kutztown University, was inducted into the United States Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) National Hall of Fame on June 10. Hawkinson was one of 326 former cadets to enter the hall in its inaugural class. The induction ceremony was held on Brooks Field at Fort Knox.
“General George Washington once said, ‘There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet an enemy,’ and that is what ROTC is all about – developing leaders who are prepared, who are ready to meet any enemy, on any battlefield, at any time, and win,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Hughes, commander of U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox. “Army ROTC has had, and continues to have, an exceptionally positive impact on our nation, not just in our defense, but in the development of our citizenry, and much of that credit belongs to the men and women who stand before us today on this field.”
A native of Carpentersville, Illinois, Hawkinson served in the U.S. Army starting as a 2nd Lieutenant rising to a Captain. After serving in the Illinois National Guard as a field artillery officer and executive officer for a field artillery battery, he joined the Army as an infantry officer. He served in Germany as a platoon leader and a weapons platoon leader, and as a public affairs officer.
Hawkinson began his tenure as the 12th president of Kutztown University July 1, 2015.
