Enrollment in Georgetown’s Reserve Officer Training Corps remains strong despite a downward trend in national ROTC enrollment cited in an April 23, 2005 Washington Post article.
A curriculum model for ROTC programs across the nation, Georgetown’s Hoya Battalion, which serves Georgetown, George Washington, American, Catholic and Marymount Universities, attributes its strength to academic excellence.
Major Martin Klein, Head of Recruitment and Enrollment at ROTC Georgetown, acknowledged the drop in enrollment.
“Students are coming forward less than in the past,” Klein said. “The upward spike since Sept. 11, 2001 has culminated.”
He said, however, that the decline still leaves the program’s current numbers higher than what they were in earlier years.
Membership in the Hoya Battalion, headquartered in the Car Barn, currently stands at 86, with 53 percent of the students attending Georgetown University.
The program has been charged with commissioning an increased number of cadets this year-19, as opposed to the 14 to 16 cadets that was standard prior to Sept. 11. The Hoya Battalion actually plans to surpass its goal, commissioning at least 23.
“In a large measure, we really don’t have to actively recruit,” Professor of Military Science Lieutenant Colonel Al Gill said. “Solid prospects come see us.”
The Institute of Defense Analysis recently studied the Georgetown curriculum at the request of the Under-Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Reserve Affairs and concluded that the Georgetown Army ROTC is a model for national ROTC reform.
Military Science III Instructor Major Donald Vandergriff has done extensive research on the ROTC curriculum. Aimed at encouraging academic rigor, Vandergriff’s research led to formative changes in the ROTC curriculum at Georgetown.
“The ROTC courses focus on decisive decision-making, cognitive ability and under-pressure problem solving,” Vandergriff said.
The shift from teaching what to think to teaching how to think has been key to building the program’s academic prowess.
Additionally, Georgetown ROTC is one of only four ROTC programs nationwide that require professors of military science to have a master’s degree or higher.
As Vandergriff completes his third book on ROTC reform, Georgetown ROTC continues to press for increased academic requirements for its cadets as it constantly improves its curriculum.
Recommendations for future improvements include the suggested assignment of the ROTC department to the College for the purpose of academic oversight and the participation of ROTC in Georgetown’s efforts to create a Center for Excellence in Leadership.
“It is in the interest of the nation and Georgetown to encourage people to be military leaders in an all-volunteer force,” Gill said.
