{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://crawford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=360964", "Pryor, Boozman, Crawford Announce Army Decision to Keep Arkansas State University ROTC Program Open", "2013-11-06", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Rick Crawford", "C001087", "crawford.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC\u2014U.S. Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman, along with Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-1) today announced that the U.S. Army has withdrawn its proposal to eliminate Arkansas State University\u2019s ROTC program. The Army will keep A-State\u2019s program open for an additional year while it re-evaluates its program criteria. \u201cThanks to numerous phone calls, community support, and an Administration hold, we were able to keep A-State ROTC\u2019s doors open for another year. Now, we have the opportunity to prove our case and show the Army why this program is invaluable to our state and nation,\u201d Pryor said. \u201cThis was definitely a team effort, and I want to thank Senator Boozman and Congressman Crawford for working with me to help maintain this critical program.\u201d \u201cThe decision to continue the Arkansas State ROTC program offers an opportunity to demonstrate its value and meet the criteria established by the Army. I am confident that once we understand the evaluation methodology, Arkansas State will be able to excel and surpass the Army\u2019s requirements,\u201d Boozman said. \u201cI appreciate Secretary McHugh\u2019s swift attention to this issue as the delegation works to protect this vital program.\u201d \u201cI am extremely pleased to receive word from the Secretary of the Army that he has delayed the Army\u2019s decision to shutter Arkansas State\u2019s historic and successful ROTC program. This initial action was conducted without proper input from local leaders, lacking opportunity for congressional oversight, and most importantly without a clear rationale explaining the program\u2019s announced closure. Arkansas has spoken loud and clear that this program is an important part of our community, and I am proud to have worked with our two Arkansas Senators to reach this result. As an Army veteran and A-State alumni, I thank the Secretary for making the right decision and look forward to working with him in the future to preserve this valuable program for generations of A-State students,\u201d said Crawford. \u201cWe are very grateful to Sen. Pryor, Sen. Boozman and Congressman Crawford for working with the university and fighting so hard to save our historic R.O.T.C. program,\u201d Chancellor Tim Hudson said. \u201cIt took a team effort to show the Army why the Red Wolf Battalion deserves the chance to grow its mission at Arkansas State.\u201d \u201cA-State will continue to work with Col. Clark and his staff to provide scholarship and military service opportunities to our students. We also celebrate this decision with all of our alumni \u2014 including the likes of Gov. Mike Beebe \u2014 who received R.O.T.C. commissions here and served our country with honor.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://crawford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=360964"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6972600240260363, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}