New CCU Graduates Commissioned as Officers in U.S. Army
Graduation ceremonies for the 2006-2007 academic year at Colorado Christian University took place on Saturday, May 5, 2007, at Cherry Hills Community Church. At a private service following the event, Audra Bunney (B.S. '07, General Science) and Nikolaus Sifers (B.A. '07, History) were formally commissioned as officers in the United States Army.
Sifers was sworn in by his father, Army Colonel Steven Sifers, and Bunney by Colorado National Guard Captain Jason Reed.
Bunney and Sifers participated during college in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, and completed basic officer training and leadership development courses alongside their CCU classes. Last Saturday, both were promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. From here they enroll in branch-specific officer basic courses. 2LT Sifers heads to the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, and 2LT Bunney will attend the Military Police Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
Upon completion, 2LT Bunney will be assigned to the Colorado National Guard's 220th Military Police Company which is based near Denver. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Bunney joined the U.S. National Guard in 2001 as a military police officer. During the last six years, she has served in Iraq for 14 months and has seen combat. 2LT Sifers, born in Nuremburg, Germany, has requested assignment as an active duty infantry officer. He reports this June to the Alaska-based 122nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
"What a noble decision these cadets made when they decided to wear this uniform--it says a lot about their moral courage and character," commented Lieutenant Colonel Marvin Meek, one of the presiding officers during the commissioning. A professor of military science for ROTC programs throughout the Denver area, LTC Meek encouraged the cadets to always lead by example and remember that their service "remains a beacon of hope for many around the world."
Relatives and friends attended the ceremony, joined by CCU President Bill Armstrong, the University Cabinet, various faculty members, and local military personnel including Captain Byron Elliott, a 2006 graduate of CCU's MBA program and current ROTC instructor at Colorado School of Mines.
This year's CCU graduation ceremonies awarded degrees to 359 candidates, 100 of them from the University's graduate programs in business, counseling, and curriculum and instruction. Four valedictorians represented the College of Undergraduate Studies and College of Adult and Graduate Studies.
Sifers was sworn in by his father, Army Colonel Steven Sifers, and Bunney by Colorado National Guard Captain Jason Reed.
Bunney and Sifers participated during college in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, and completed basic officer training and leadership development courses alongside their CCU classes. Last Saturday, both were promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. From here they enroll in branch-specific officer basic courses. 2LT Sifers heads to the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, and 2LT Bunney will attend the Military Police Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
Upon completion, 2LT Bunney will be assigned to the Colorado National Guard's 220th Military Police Company which is based near Denver. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Bunney joined the U.S. National Guard in 2001 as a military police officer. During the last six years, she has served in Iraq for 14 months and has seen combat. 2LT Sifers, born in Nuremburg, Germany, has requested assignment as an active duty infantry officer. He reports this June to the Alaska-based 122nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
"What a noble decision these cadets made when they decided to wear this uniform--it says a lot about their moral courage and character," commented Lieutenant Colonel Marvin Meek, one of the presiding officers during the commissioning. A professor of military science for ROTC programs throughout the Denver area, LTC Meek encouraged the cadets to always lead by example and remember that their service "remains a beacon of hope for many around the world."
Relatives and friends attended the ceremony, joined by CCU President Bill Armstrong, the University Cabinet, various faculty members, and local military personnel including Captain Byron Elliott, a 2006 graduate of CCU's MBA program and current ROTC instructor at Colorado School of Mines.
This year's CCU graduation ceremonies awarded degrees to 359 candidates, 100 of them from the University's graduate programs in business, counseling, and curriculum and instruction. Four valedictorians represented the College of Undergraduate Studies and College of Adult and Graduate Studies.