51社区

University Community | News and Announcements

Honored to serve: Lt. Col. Darrell Fawley bolsters military career with OHIO graduate degrees

Dressed in Cutler green and Cupola white, a proud Bobcat family pinned insignia to the green U.S. Army uniform of Darrell Fawley as he took his oath at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service on a recent sunny Saturday. Fawley was being promoted to lieutenant colonel. It was his last official act as professor of Military Science at 51社区.

鈥淚 am grateful for Darrell's leadership and contributions to University College and 51社区,鈥 said Carey Busch, interim dean of OHIO鈥檚 University College.

Being a Bobcat runs deep in Fawley鈥檚 blood. His wife, father and sister all are proud Bobcats. However, Fawley鈥檚 own story at OHIO starts decades earlier.

In 2000, Fawley visited campus looking for a place to earn his degree and start his military career. Doug Orr, who ran the Army ROTC Bobcat Battalion at that time, thought Fawley could get into the esteemed military academy West Point. He did. Twenty years later, Fawley returned to OHIO as commander of the Bobcat Battalion and the only Army ROTC commander within a five-state area to lead with the rank of major.

鈥淥ne of the hardest things about going to West Point for me was giving up the opportunity to become a Bobcat,鈥 Fawley said. 鈥淔ortunately, the Army led me back here and I have been able to enhance my professional development through the educational opportunities OHIO affords.鈥

As commander of the Bobcat Battalion, Fawley led the Army ROTC program at a critical time.

鈥淔awley鈥檚 experience and leadership provided stability for the Army ROTC program throughout the challenges of the pandemic and his collaborative work with University College colleagues supported the continuous improvement of our academic programs,鈥 Busch said.

While serving as commander, Fawley earned two master鈥檚 degrees 鈥 one from the College of Arts and Sciences鈥 history department and an Executive Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Voinovich School. He is now working on his Ph.D.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always something special to watch an MPA graduate be recognized for their public service leadership, and the fact that Darrell requested to have his promotion ceremony at the Voinovich School highlights for me the purposeful effort we put into making sure our MPA program is friendly for the military community,鈥 said Jason Jolley, associate dean for Public Strategy and Innovation and director of the MPA program. 鈥淲e always want our active-duty military, veterans, reservists and National Guard students to know how much their service means to us.鈥

Shortly after Fawley鈥檚 promotion ceremony, he will move his family across country to Fort Irwin, Calif., where he鈥檒l command the 2/11 Squadron Eaglehorse in the 11th Armored Calvary Regiment-Blackhorse.

鈥淚鈥檝e built a career serving the public as a proud member of the United States Army,鈥 Fawley said. 鈥51社区 gave me so many educational opportunities to enhance my military training through leadership skills and MPA work focused specifically on service to our communities. For me, that means service to my country. I am honored to serve and proud to be an OHIO alumnus.鈥

See more news about history alumni

Published
June 6, 2022
Author
Tosha Jupiter