Ohio University's Army and Air Force ROTC detachments welcomed record numbers of freshmen cadets this Fall Quarter.
The Army detachment's first-year enrollment rose to 28 cadets this year, compared to 18 in 2007 and 14 in 2006. The Air Force detachment's first-year enrollment rose to 27 cadets this year, compared to 23 in 2007 and 18 in 2006.
The influx in new cadets means more tuition dollars for the university and a bigger budget for the detachments. Army Cadet Command and Air Force ROTC award full-tuition scholarships, book allowances and monthly stipends to cadets. OU in turn provides each detachment with a percentage of the average scholarship dollars spent on tuition over the previous three years by the military, said Army Lt. Col. William Hauschild, professor of military science.
In 2007, the detachments brought in more than $1 million in tuition dollars to the university and received about $200,000 from the university.
The detachments use their budget for cadet incentives such as room and board grants and, in some cases, cash awards for outstanding academic performance.
OU gives us a percentage of the money back and we put that money back into the cadets
said Air Force Capt. Larry Goodnite, unit admissions officer.
Last year, the detachment offered $1,000 awards for cadets who earned a 4.0 GPA and $500 for cadets who attended every physical training meeting, Goodnite said.
However, the incentives come secondary to many cadets' desire to be commissioned as officers upon graduation. In 2007, 3,025 out of 13,144 cadets Air Force-wide received scholarships from the Air Force. Ten cadets from OU's class of 2011 received scholarships.
Sophomore Air Force cadet Taylor Shipley does not receive a scholarship, yet still maintains his standing in the detachment by participating in detachment events and attending professional military courses, which are taught by active-duty instructors.
Because all staff members, with the exception of the detachments' administrative staff, are active-duty servicemembers, the Army and Air Force ROTC programs save the university more than $1 million in salary and benefits alone, according to the Army detachment's seven-year review presented at the February 2008 Board of Trustees meeting and professor of aerospace studies Air Force Lt. Col. John Coulter.
Additionally, active-duty Soldiers and Airmen teach the professional military courses for cadets and open-enrollment courses. The billable class hours the servicemembers teach are not included in these savings, according to the review.
17
Archives
Michael Hess
200809168671midsize.jpeg
Members of the Ohio University ROTC board a Chinook helicopter, which landed in Pepsi Tail-Great Park as part of a training exercise.
