Commander's Welcome

Welcome to the Golden Griffin Army ROTC's site!

I am honored to welcome all new and returning Cadets to “Buffalo’s Own” Golden Griffin Army ROTC Battalion for the academic year, located in the heart of Buffalo, N.Y.  I hope you had a great summer and are ready for an exciting and action-packed year ahead! My priority remains investing in our people, and I fully support our mission: “to recruit, train, retain, and develop Cadets into commissioned officers of character for the Total Army."

The Golden Griffin ROTC Battalion has a rich history, producing leaders of character from Western New York for generations. Our program is offered at seven colleges and universities in the Buffalo, N.Y. area: Canisius University (host school), University of Buffalo, Buffalo State University, Daemen University, D’Youville University, Hilbert College and SUNY Erie (Erie Community College). We also partner closely with and support neighboring ROTC programs including St. Bonaventure. Our Army ROTC program is a distinctive elective that can be taken alongside any academic major, culminating in a commission as a Second Lieutenant (Gold Bar) in the United States Army upon graduation. Through your ROTC courses, you'll learn the core values of leadership, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage, preparing you for success as a future officer and servant to the community.

In addition, the Army ROTC program offers valuable scholarship opportunities that can cover tuition and fees or room and board, as well as books and monthly stipends for those who qualify. The leadership skills and experiences you’ll gain through this program will provide a strong foundation for your career as an Army Officer. You will experience everyday college life while also preparing to serve in the greatest Army in the world—the United States Army. If you’re interested in joining, you can start by enrolling in an Army ROTC introductory elective course without a military commitment. If you have two or more years remaining in your undergraduate program but lack time to complete the Basic Course, you can join the ROTC Advanced Course by attending the Leader’s Training Course at Fort Knox, KY, during the summer.

The Golden Griffin Battalion Army ROTC program prides itself on offering students challenging training, rigorous physical fitness programs, and robust cadre and peer support systems to develop scholar-athlete leaders. Regardless of your timeline or scheduling challenges, if you are interested in learning more about Army ROTC, don’t hesitate to contact us!

LTC Michael T. Baddley
Professor of Military Science
Canisius University (ROTC)