WASHINGTON, DC—Echoing criticism by Senators Obama and McCain, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni sent letters to the trustees of seven major universities urging them to open up their campuses to ROTC. The Yale Political Union urged ROTC’s return in a vote last night, and Columbia is debating the issue as well.
The letters, sent to the boards of Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, Tufts, and Yale, remind trustees that while they have so far deferred to faculty and administrators on the question of ROTC programs on campus, it is ultimately their responsibility to settle this important issue. None of the seven universities currently allows ROTC on campus.
In the letters, ACTA builds on the remarks by the presidential candidates, as well as editorials by the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, to encourage trustees to give students the opportunity to explore military careers and make their own choices.
“At a time when there is broad support for public service,” ACTA writes, “continued refusal to permit students to perform military service on campus…seems neither fair nor wise.”
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national organization dedicated to academic freedom, academic quality, and accountability. Its network includes alumni and trustees from more than 600 colleges and universities across the country. Since its founding in 1995, ACTA has counseled boards and educated the public about such issues as historical literacy, core curricula, the free exchange of ideas, accreditation, and good governance in higher education.
American military colleges produce disciplined leaders that are prepared for national service in one of the four American service branches. Often these institutions are extremely selective and require letters of high recommendation as part of their admissions standards. From the esteemed national service academies like West Point and the Air Force Academy to senior military […]
ACTA vice president of policy Michael Poliakoff’s remarks for the American Association of University Professors. Poliakoff calls on all university constituents to embrace ROTC as a student activity.
WASHINGTON, DC—”We praise the Yale Corporation for bridging the troubling chasm between the academy and the military,” Neal said. “By underscoring that defense of our liberties is an important form of public service, the trustees have exercised their fiduciary responsible to improve student life and learning. Now the trustees must work with faculty to ensure […]
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