Penn State has been recognized with the MacArthur Award, deeming it a university with one of the country’s top ROTC programs.

Since 1989, schools have been awarded this high honor for their training programs, and this year was no exception. These winners are said to exceptionally exemplify the ideals of “duty, honor, and country.”

“Penn State’s outstanding cadets, program leaders, faculty and staff bring honor to our university, and I’m thrilled that the United States Department of the Army has chosen to recognize them in this very significant way,” Penn State President Eric Barron said in a release.

The award is presented to one program in each of the eight ROTC Brigades, and Penn State beat out the other 42 battalions in its category.  Other winners include the University of North Georgia, Minnesota State University, Campbell University, Brigham Young University, Florida Southern College, Ohio University, and the University of Washington.

Winning programs are selected based on several factors, including cadets’ performances, retention rate, and the program’s commissioning mission.

“It is an honor to be selected for the MacArthur Award,” Col. Richard Garey, professor of military science and commander of the University’s Army ROTC program, said in a release. “The selection demonstrates the commitment of the cadets to the program and their performance, both in ROTC and outside of ROTC, as well as the continued support of the university for our program, which really enables our cadets to be successful.”