Rocky Mount, N.C.—North Carolina Wesleyan College has expanded its course offerings and financial aid opportunities by adding a new program—Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)—beginning in the fall 2008 semester. The College will join the Falcon Battalion, which includes students from Peace College, Saint Augustine College, and Shaw University.

New or returning Wesleyan students who want to enroll in the ROTC program or obtain additional information should contact the Admissions Office at 252-985-5200 or toll-free at 1-800-488-6292.

            The ROTC program enables students to take Military Science courses before they decide whether they want to continue with a career in the Army, according to Captain James Monihan, recruiting operations officer for the battalion. The Falcon Battalion currently has 90 students enrolled, plus 17 who have committed to the Army.

The program—which is open to both men and women students—teaches the fundamental concepts and principles of military art and science, and develops leadership and managerial potential. The program also trains, motivates, and prepares students with potential to serve as commissioned officers in the Army, Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard. The training that students receive helps with their future professional development and their effective performance in the Army as well as in civilian life.

Gary Sherman, Wesleyan’s vice president of enrollment management, said, “Wesleyan wants to enroll about 15 students in the ROTC program and increase that number to about 50. The actual number that we will enroll by fall is unknown, because Wesleyan received final permission to add the new program after our school year ended in May. We’re now in the process of letting students know about the benefits of joining the ROTC.”

Successful completion of the ROTC program qualifies a student for a commission as a Second Lieutenant in one of the following branches of the Army: Adjutant General’s Corps; Armor, Infantry, Military Police Corps; Ordnance Corps; Quartermaster Corps; Signal Corps; Medical Service Corps; Corps of Engineers; Finance Corps; Aviation; Field Artillery; Air Defense Artillery; Transportation Corps; and Army Nurse Corps. Special requirements and/or additional training are required for commissioning in the Medical Corps, Army Medical Specialist Corps, Veterinarian Corps, Chaplain Corps, and the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

A subsistence fee ranging between $300 and $500 per month is paid to contracted, advanced courses, and scholarship cadets during the entire normal academic year while students participate in Army ROTC. Four-, three-, and two-year scholarships are available. In addition to the subsistence fee, the scholarship pays for tuition, laboratory fees, book costs, and certain supplies.

Details about Wesleyan’s ROTC program will be printed in the College’s 2008-2009 academic catalog. Students are encouraged to contact Captain James Monihan in the recruiting command office at 919-516-4562 to discuss details about the ROTC Program.

 

Below are excerpts from Wesleyan’s 2008-2009 catalog:

General Program Requirements:

The ROTC program is divided into a basic course, which is normally taken during the freshman and sophomore years, and an advanced course, which is taken during the junior and senior years. The admission of students to the ROTC program is based upon the general admission requirements of the College as they pertain to a full-time student.

 

Military Science Department Requirements:

The programs of instruction for Army ROTC include a four-year program and a two-year program. The four-year program consists of the two-year basic course, the two-year advanced course, and the National Advance Leadership Camp. The two-year program encompasses a Leaders Training Course, the two-year advanced course, and the Advanced Summer Camp.

 

            Basic Course: The basic course is designed to introduce the student to basic military and leadership concepts and the organization and mission of the U.S. Army. Students who successfully complete this course are eligible to enter into the advanced course. Credit for the basic course can be obtained by successfully completing MSL 101, 102, 201, and 202. A leadership laboratory must be taken concurrently each semester with the class. Prior service in the Armed Forces can be used to obtain appropriate credit for the basic course.

 

            Advanced Course: The advanced course is designed to produce officers for the active Army as well as the Reserve Components. Entry into the advanced course is on a best qualified basis. The student must possess qualifications for becoming an effective Army officer. Applicants must attain and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 (scholarship applicants must have a 2.5 GPA and after being awarded the scholarship must maintain a 2.5 GPA) in order to validate their academic eligibility for participation in the program. The applicants must have a minimum of two years of academic work remaining at the educational institution in a curriculum leading to either a baccalaureate or advanced degree in a recognized academic field of study.

            In addition, each student must successfully complete a Leaders Development and Assessment Course of at least five weeks. Applicants must also pass an Army medical examination. The following courses are required for completion of the advanced course: MSL 301, 302, 401, and 402. The leadership laboratory must also be taken each semester. There is also a military history course…which is required but may be waived, or an appropriate history course may be substituted….

            Two-Year Program: This program is designed for sophomore and junior students transferring to a four-year institution who have not taken ROTC. A basic four-week summer leaders Training Course after the sophomore year takes the place of the basic course required of students in the traditional four-year program. When a student with two years of college has successfully completed the Leaders Training Course, he is eligible for the advanced ROTC course in his junior and senior years. The advanced course, which leads to an officer commission, is the same for students in either the four-year program or the two-year program.

 

For additional information, contact Captain James Monihan at
919-516-4562.