UTM’s branch of the ROTC is scheduled to close in 2015, allowing current members to graduate before closure.
Alumni, faculty and staff alike are surprised and disappointed by this news, as the ROTC program has been a respected commodity on the UTM campus for years. However, this decision was not made because of a lack of success on campus.
“The decision was not based on program quality, but on factors such as cutting costs and the regional distribution of these programs,” said Dr. Jerald Ogg, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UTM and former U.S. Air Force officer.
Ogg also said that the review has been ongoing for years, although UTM’s ROTC program has been known for its productivity in satisfying the Army’s goals. Thus, news of closure came as a surprise, as UTM was never given a warning.
Ultimately, the decision to close the ROTC program can be reversed. UTM is talking with both the Army and local political communities in the hopes that the ROTC program will be saved. Although the movement has gained the support of retired officers, Ogg said these efforts “will be an uphill climb.”
One of Ogg’s greater concerns is the future of UTM after the ROTC’s closing. In regards to UTM’s loss of an ROTC program, Ogg said that UTM will face a significant loss of students if ROTC goes.
“If the decision stands, it means we will lose the opportunity to have some outstanding young men and women attend our university; students who want to pursue careers as Army officers within the ROTC program will simply have to attend another institution,” Ogg said.
This loss of the ROTC might affect UTM’s reputation of having a diverse student body.
Because of its close proximity to the announcement of a temporary federal government shutdown, those who come in contact with this information about the ROTC may have understandably mistaken the two incidents as related. Ogg assures readers that these two incidents are not connected.
“Given the timing, there has been some understandable confusion about this decision being connected to the federal government shutdown. It is not,” Ogg said.
