Norwich University has appointed Air Force Col. Murray R. Clark as dean of the College of National Services, which oversees Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs at Norwich through the departments of Army Military Science, Aerospace Studies and Naval Science.
Clark is a command pilot with more than 3,700 hours of flight time. Previously, he served as the Air Force senior service representative and director of strategic leadership in the Department of Command, Leadership, and Management at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Penn. There, he taught leadership, change management and joint military processes to future senior leaders from all military services and many allied nations.
Clark previously served as commander of the 376th Operations Group at Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan. His duties included coordinating with Kyrgyzstan’s Civil Aviation Authority; working with international airport authorities to fly combat missions from their national-capitol airport; and leading flight crews, flight-equipment technicians, weather forecasters, and intelligence analysts to provide approximately one-third of the air refueling of all military aircraft over Afghanistan involved in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Clark graduated from the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Humanities and was named a distinguished graduate and outstanding cadet in both Philosophy and Humanities. He completed undergraduate pilot training at Williams Air Force Base, Ariz. in 1988 and was assigned to McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., to fly the KC-135R in Strategic Air Command. Later, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame prior to becoming an assistant professor at the Air Force Academy.
This is Clark’s third year serving the Norwich Air Force ROTC.
The dean of the College of National Services is the top administrator of the college, who is rotated annually from each of the service branches according to seniority.
The College of National Services oversees ROTC programs at Norwich through the departments of Army Military Science, Aerospace Studies and Naval Science. Each department has its own chair and staff and is run independently according to the needs and administration of the service branch.
The ROTC programs exist to commission well-educated officers into the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in sufficient numbers to meet the requirements of these services. The general objectives of the programs are to provide understanding of the principles of military, aerospace and naval science; to impart crucial professional knowledge; to build attitudes of integrity, honor, and individual responsibility; and to encourage appreciation of national security requirements. These objectives support the mission of Norwich University and the Corps of Cadets and augment the training plan necessary to prepare cadets for service to the nation as soldiers and citizens.