Scabbard and Blade

Scabbard and Blade
Founded	1904 (1904) University of Wisconsin Madison, WI
Type	Honorary
Affiliation	ACHS and PFA (former)
Status	Defunct
Emphasis	ROTC, JROTC and midshipmen leadership
Scope	National
Mission statement	Developing aspiring and current military officers that emulate the Five Star qualities while fostering strong joint-service relationships.
Pillars	Honor, Leadership, Professionalism, Officership, Unity
Colors	Red,   White, and   Blue
Symbol	5 stars
Publication	Scabbard & Blade Today
Chapters	59
Members	449 (2012) collegiate
Headquarters	1018 S. Lewis Street Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074 United States
Website	Scabbard and Blade homepage

Scabbard and Blade (S&B) was a college military honor society founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1904. Although membership was open to Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and midshipmen of all military services, the society was modeled after the U.S. Army, calling its chapters companies

It was founded as a men's organization later became a co-educational society. The Junior Program opened membership to Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) cadets and midshipmen as well.

S&B was a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. Around 2021, the natonal organization close, with some chapters continuing to operate as location organizations.

History

S&B was founded during the school year 1904-1905 at the University of Wisconsin by five senior officers in the cadet corps. The five founders were Leo M. Cook, Albert W. Foster, Victor R. Griggs, Charles A. Taylor, and Harold K. Weld. The society's mission was "developing aspiring and current military officers that emulate the Five Star qualities while fostering strong joint-service relationships."

Although membership was open to Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and midshipmen of all military services, the society was modeled after the U.S. Army. It was founded as a men's organization became a co-educational society.

Its first national convention was held on May 11, 1906, in Madison, Wisconsin, and was attended by representatives of the four companies which then comprised the society. Conventions were held annually until April 1916, after which no convention was held until February 1920. This inactivity was due to World War I. Following the 1920 meeting, conventions were held every two years. This practice continued until 1940 when war interrupted the progress of the society and all companies were directed by General Order to bring their affairs to a close.

The society was inactive during World War I and World War II when there were no courses of military training in universities and colleges because every able-bodied man was in the service. In November 1947, after seventy companies had been reactivated, a national convention was called.

S&B became a member of the Association of College Honor Societies in 2010. In February 2012, it had 59 collegiate chapters an d 449 members. In 2014, there were aroun 137,000 cadet officers.

Around 2021, the national society closed its operations, although a few chapters continue to operate as locate organizations. Its last national headquarters was located at Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Symbols

Scabbard and Blade's colors were red, white, and blue. The society's five stars or pillars were Honor, Leadership, Professionalism, Offership, and Unity. Its publication was originally called Scabbard & Blade Journal and was later called Scabbard & Blade Today.

Membership

ROTC

Membership had to be an ROTC student in at least be in their second semester, preferably in their junior or senior year. They had to rank in the top 20% of their unit commander's Order of Merit Listing or have a 3.5 GPA. Candidates also had to receive a letter of nomination from their ROTC unit's commander and take a pledge to become a commissioned officer in the United States Armed Forces.

JROTC

There are two levels of membership for a JROTC Company: Junior Membership and Distinguished Junior Membership. Junior Membership was open to active JROTC students who were juniors or seniors in high school and were in the top 20% of their class with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Distinguished Junior Membership was only open to JROTC students who were active Junior Members in S&B.

Chapters

Following is a list of the Scabbard and Blade's collegiate chapters or companies as of June 2011.

Company	Charter date	Institution	Location	Status	References
		Appalachian State University	Boone, North Carolina	Active
		Arizona State University	Tempe, Arizona	Active
		Arkansas State University	Jonesboro, Arkansas	Active
		Boston University	Boston, Massachusetts	Active
		Cameron University	Lawton, Oklahoma	Active
		Clemson University	Clemson, South Carolina	Active
		Colorado State University	Fort Collins, Colorado	Active
		Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	Active
		Drexel University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Active
		East Tennessee State University	Johnson City, Tennessee	Active
		Elon University	Elon, North Carolina	Active
		Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach	Daytona Beach, Florida	Active
		Florida International University	Miami, Florida	Active
		Georgia Tech	Atlanta, Georgia	Active
		Georgia State University	Atlanta, Georgia	Active
		Hampton University	Hampton, Virginia	Active
		Hofstra University	Hempstead, New York	Active
		Howard University	Washington, D.C.	Active
		James Madison University	Harrisonburg, Virginia	Active
		Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Active
		Marion Military Institute	Marion, Alabama	Active
		Mississippi State University	Mississippi State, Mississippi	Active
		Morehead State University	Morehead, Kentucky	Active
		Murray State University	Murray, Kentucky	Active
		Norfolk State University	Norfolk, Virginia	Active
		North Georgia College & State University	Dahlonega, Georgia	Active
		Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Active
		Oklahoma State University–Stillwater	Stillwater, Oklahoma	Active
		Old Dominion University	Norfolk, Virginia	Active
		Pennsylvania State University	University Park, Pennsylvania	Active
		Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology	Terre Haute, Indiana	Active
		Rutgers University–New Brunswick	New Brunswick and Piscataway, New Jersey	Active
		Santa Clara University	Santa Clara, California	Active
		Syracuse University	Syracuse, New York	Active
		Tennessee Tech	Cookeville, Tennessee	Active
		Texas Tech University	Lubbock, Texas	Active
		University of Arizona	Tucson, Arizona	Active
		University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles, California	Active
		University of Georgia	Athens, Georgia	Active
		University of Kansas	Lawrence, Kansas	Active
		University of Louisville	Louisville, Kentucky	Active
		University of Maine	Orono, Maine	Active
		University of Massachusetts Amherst	Amherst, Massachusetts	Active
		University of Miami	Coral Gables, Florida	Active
		University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, Michigan	Active
		University of New Mexico	Albuquerque, New Mexico	Active
		University of North Carolina at Charlotte	Charlotte, North Carolina	Active
		University of South Florida St Petersburg	St. Petersburg, Florida	Active
		University of Tennessee	Knoxville, Tennessee	Active
	1904	University of Wisconsin–Madison	Madison, Wisconsin	Active
		Wake Forest University	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	Active
		West Virginia University	Morgantown, West Virginia	Active

Governance

Scabbard and Blade consisted of three organizations: The National Society of Scabbard and Blade, The National Honor Society of Scabbard and Blade, and Scabbard and Blade Endowment Resources.

Scabbard and Blade called its chapters companies. Companies were organized into regiments in order of their establishment. Each Scabbard and Blade company had a faculty or school staff member who served as the Company Advisor. In addition, each company was required to have the following offiers:

• Company Captain (Commander)
• Company 1st Lieutenant (Vice Commander)
• Company 2nd Lieutenant (Finance Officer)
• Company First Sergeant (Executive Officer)

External links

• Scabbard and Blade official website