University Park, Pa. — As part of its land-grant charter, Penn State has offered training in military studies since 1862, and today more than 6,000 Penn State ROTC graduates have received a commission in the Armed Forces, noted Yvonne Gaudelius, assistant vice president and associate dean of Undergraduate Education, in a report today (Sept. 19) to Penn State's Board of Trustees.
Currently, 19 of Penn State's 24 locations offer at least one ROTC program either as a host unit or in partnership with another Pennsylvania college or university. Army ROTC began at Penn State in 1916, followed by Naval ROTC in 1943 and Air Force ROTC in 1948.
"Penn State's Tri-Service ROTC is consistently in the top of the Big Ten in ROTC enrollment," said Gaudelius. All three programs are top-ranked nationally and have received high marks during external inspections and audits compared with their counterparts across the country.
Currently at Penn State, there are 240 Army ROTC cadets, which is first among Big Ten peers; 165 Naval ROTC midshipmen, also first in the Big Ten; and 138 Air Force ROTC cadets, which is third behind Purdue (192) and Ohio State (143). Overall, Penn State ROTC enrollment of 543 is highest in the Big Ten, followed by Purdue (517) and Ohio State (453).
Females comprise 14 percent of Penn State ROTC students, which is close to each service's norms; however, ethnicity percentages are lower than each service's norms.
"In general, Penn State Army ROTC has had increased enrollment for the last five years, Naval ROTC has had a steady enrollment for the last five years, and Air Force ROTC has had a decreasing enrollment for the last five years, but this decreasing enrollment appears to have leveled off this year. All shifts in enrollment are results of the Department of Defense manning priorities," explained Gaudelius.
Naval ROTC, which serves the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, is only offered at Penn State's University Park campus, and its enrollment comprises 42 percent of all Pennsylvania schools' Naval ROTC enrollment. Similarly, Penn State's Army ROTC enrollment comprises 16 percent, and the University's Air Force ROTC enrollment represents 30 percent of all ROTC students attending Pennsylvania schools who offer Air Force ROTC.
Collectively, Penn State ROTC students complete approximately 3,000 credit hours of military, naval and aerospace science curriculum each year. Choice of academic majors varies within each ROTC unit. Army ROTC cadets most favor the crime, law and justice major, followed by engineering, while both Naval ROTC midshipmen and Air Force ROTC cadets are most likely enrolled in majors in the College of Engineering, followed by the Eberly College of Science. Gaudelius noted that about one-fourth of all Penn State ROTC students are on the dean's list. All ROTC students must meet and maintain academic, aptitude, medical and physical requirements.
Scholarship recipients among Penn State ROTC students vary — 65 percent of Army cadets, 75 percent of Naval midshipmen and 57 percent of Air Force cadets — and the remainder compete for scholarships as they become available.
"On any given day there are 338 ROTC scholarships totaling about $6 million in tuition and fees payment to Penn State," explained Captain Bill Hanson, Tri-Service ROTC commander.
Following students' graduation and commissioning as second lieutenants or ensigns, they are assigned to military service jobs with varying ranges of time commitments from four to 10 years, depending on the job assignment. Most jobs require up to two years of training before an officer will join an operational unit. Hanson said most junior officers obtain graduate degrees within the first 10 years of their military service.
Hanson noted that beginning this semester, a special living option in Brumbaugh Hall in East Halls has been offered to freshman ROTC students, which has proven popular, as male student spaces are at capacity. One-fourth of Army, half of Navy and one-eighth of Air Force ROTC students have chosen to live in this residence hall.
Later this fall the Big Ten Network will air a documentary produced by WPSU about Penn State's Tri-Service ROTC programs and veteran students.
The public is invited to attend Penn State Tri-Service ROTC's annual Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Commemoration and Vigil, a 24-hour event similar to the vigil held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, which begins at 5 p.m. today at Old Main.