Enrollment is rising in the ROTC, probably due to the recession, according to Capt. Bob Scholl.
Scholl said the ROTC’s Air Force division, of which he is admissions director, has 110 cadets – more than it has had in 15 years. Recruitment in the group’s Army office has also grown steadily, with 100 members over last fall compared to only 78 a year earlier. ROTC, which stands for the Reserve Officers Training Corps, has had similar success nationally, Scholl said.
“The economy always influences enrollment,” he added. “In a recession, the military seems appealing to folks.”
Maj. Kathleen Burr agrees with Scholl. “The economy is a deciding factor,” said Burr, executive officer of the ROTC’s Army branch.
Money for tuition explains part of the group’s appeal – the ROTC gave $350,000 in scholarships last year. Other military groups also provide financial aid – the National Guard, for example, gives its members full tuition and $255 a month.
Many students also seek military as a profession during economic downturns, according to Scholl. Careers in the armed forces provide both security and a nice paycheck, he added.
“(ROTC graduates) start out at $38,000 a year, while the average BGSU graduate starts at about $26,000,” he said.
Though the surge in patriotism since recent terrorist attacks has earned the military respect, both Scholl and Burr agree patriotism’s effect on enrollment has been minimal.
Though the number of cadets in both the Army and Air Force on campus is high, the trend began years ago – long before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
“Our numbers have been going up for two years,” Burr said. “But there’s been no big jump since Sept. 11.”
Not every aspect of the war on terrorism entices potential cadets to sign up with the ROTC, she said. “It could be both scaring people and inspiring them (to join).”
Regardless, enrollment is rising, and both Scholl and Burr predict that the trend will continue. “I only see the numbers going up,” Scholl said.
Any student is welcome to sign up for the organization’s military science courses at the 100 and 200 levels. But students in the 300 and 400 level classes are to be committed to military careers.
Scholl encourages freshmen and sophomores thinking about joining the armed forces to take one of the low-level courses.
“If you start early enough, you have no obligation to the military,” he said.
To keep enrollment high, the ROTC and other military groups often hold recruitment tables in the Student Union. For more details on the organization, call the group’s Army branch at 372-2476 or the Air Force division at 372-2176.
