Harvard to Allow Army ROTC on Campus

Yes, and this article in the Harvard Crimson http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/3/21/srotc-army-harvard-agreement/

I find the key phrase to be:

“At Harvard, military service is rightly regarded as public service, and I am pleased that we can now broaden access for our students to the leadership and learning opportunities that Army SROTC training provides.”

Some additional Battalion detail is found in this release from Cadet Command: http://www.army.mil/article/76163/Harvard_formally_recognizes_Army_ROTC/
 
Don't just about all of the top colleges in Boston have a joint ROTC program?
 
From the GoArmy.com/rotc website. Not sure what you mean by "joint" program but certainly if you want to go to school in the Boston area and participate in ROTC there is a huge range of choices for people with different academic qualifications and interests. The one possible drawback to attending an affiliate school is that you may have to travel to the host school for PT, military science classes and other functions

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Many universities and colleges in the country offer an Army ROTC curriculum. Search ROTC programs and contact that school's Military Science department for more information on their particular program.

Boston University - Host (affiliates below)
Babson College
Bentley College
Brandeis University
Bridgewater State College
Curry College
Eastern Nazarene College
Fisher College
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Stonehill College
University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth

Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Host (affiliates below)
Endicott College
Gordon College
Harvard University
Salem State College
Tufts University
Wellesley College

Northeastern University - Host (affiliates below)
Berklee College of Music
Boston College
Emmanuel College
Massachusetts College of Art
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Regis College
Simmons College
Suffolk University
Wentworth Institute of Technology
 
Don't just about all of the top colleges in Boston have a joint ROTC program?
Yes, here is the difference.

Harvard would not allow Army ROTC on campus. Harvard students could partake fully in Army ROTC but not on the Harvard campus. AROTC cadets could not meet, have class or PT at Harvard. They did not earn credit for their AROTC coursework.

Dr Faust, President of Harvard has been an ardent supporter of ROTC and worked very hard to accomplish this goal. I believe she has been heavily influenced by General Petraeus whose son was commissioned out of the Paul Revere Battalion.

This is indeed really cool stuff.
 
Yale is the only Ivy to actually "reinstate" ROTC on their campus with a new Navy and Air force Det and actually will give credit for the courses. Harvard has bragged about reinstatement of ROTC but has done so crumb by crumb.
 
"Reinstatement" is not about having a detachment or batallion located on campus. It's about being able to have ROTC related functions on campus and being awarded credit for the course work; as well as being a recognized organization.
Many colleges - especially in Army ROTC - are affiliated with a host school.
Sorry you fail to see this as the big deal that it really is.

There is no reason for Harvard to have an Army ROTC battalion directly on campus. The Paul Revere battalion is located at MIT which is active and fully functional. They are less than 5 miles apart. It would be a ridiculous waste of resources to attempt to staff and maintain a battalion at Harvard.
 
^ the significance of this change to me doesn't have anything to do with the quality of officer, which as you say can come from just about anywhere.

The significance lies in the fact that Harvard is the most recognized college in the world in the area of Public Policy, and most areas overall along with Cambridge/Oxford. That Harvard is again endorsing the value of ROTC, and characterizing participation by its students in ROTC and then military service as a form of "public service", is important in the world of public opinion, and public policy. Ultimately it is not Generals, but policy makers who determine the size and funding for our nation's defense forces. The Secretary of Defense is a civilian (usually ex-military of late) appointee of the President.

When an Army officer is considered a public servant and not a mercenary for Big Business, that is significant.
 
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Harvard still will not give credit for the courses though, so I find that not as genuine.
 
^ the significance of this change to me doesn't have anything to do with the quality of officer, which as you say can come from just about anywhere.

The significance lies in the fact that Harvard is the most recognized college in the world in the area of Public Policy, and most areas overall along with Cambridge/Oxford. That Harvard is again endorsing the value of ROTC, and characterizing participation by its students in ROTC and then military service as a form of "public service", is important in the world of public opinion, and public policy. Ultimately it is not Generals, but policy makers who determine the size and funding for our nation's defense forces. The Secretary of Defense is a civilian (usually ex-military of late) appointee of the President.

When an Army officer is considered a public servant and not a mercenary for Big Business, that is significant.

I don't need the lauded "elites" of Harvard to tell me I'm a public servant, nor do I crave the approval of such an institution. The fact that we care what they think cheapens us.

Mercenaries of big business? Harvard should know. They are the high temple of business.
 
I don't need the lauded "elites" of (Fill in the blank) to tell me I'm a public servant, nor do I crave the approval of such an institution. The fact that we care what they think cheapens us.

I love that line, you could insert the name of several institutions, Private, Public, and Military.

Great Quote Scout.
 
I love that line, you could insert the name of several institutions, Private, Public, and Military.

Great Quote Scout.

Thank you. On the miserable nights I've spent in many environments, I've never thought to myself "Gosh, I hope the smarties at Hahvhahd will think I'm good enough for them now."

The Army doesn't need Harvard. It never has. Harvard looms much larger in peoples' minds than it does in reality.

I stand by it. We cheapen ourselves by caring that Harvard has "allowed" the Army back into its "elite" club. When Harvard grads, to the man, do as much for America's citizens as our thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines do every day, they are wholly unqualified to be the arbiters of who is and is not a public servant.
 
Thank you. On the miserable nights I've spent in many environments, I've never thought to myself "Gosh, I hope the smarties at Hahvhahd will think I'm good enough for them now."

The Army doesn't need Harvard. It never has. Harvard looms much larger in peoples' minds than it does in reality.

I stand by it. We cheapen ourselves by caring that Harvard has "allowed" the Army back into its "elite" club. When Harvard grads, to the man, do as much for America's citizens as our thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines do every day, they are wholly unqualified to be the arbiters of who is and is not a public servant.

Wow - this is quite snobbish coming from one who is a West Point grad. Doesn't your Alma Mater pride itself on their strict qualifications and their brainy student body? Do they not pride themselves in delivering a world class, well rounded education?
I hope the Army is never too good for a Havahd graduate. When that day comes that we actually desire to dumb down the officer corps - that would be a sad day for America.
So what do we have here - we tell kids they need super SAT's and grades to earn a scholarship but you don't want them to go to a school that is 'too smart'. Yep, take bright kids and keep 'em dumb. wow.

But you are entitled to your superior opinion.
The 'smarties' at Harvard always had the opportunity to join AROTC, and they did. Do you seriously want to keep people out of the Army because they are too intelligent? Your attitude is sad and pathetic and out of step with Army leadership.
Fortunately being a badass chopper pilot doesn't appear to be a qualification for deciding the make up of the officer corps.
 
I agree with the last few sentiments about Harvard lol...but to look on the other side Harvard up until the 60's has had a rich rich military history with many incredible officers coming out of there. At one point during the Civil War the campus was closed to be used only for soldiers and training. Harvard also trained units during World War I and II to include French forces as well. The 60's ruined it... hopefully the liberal professors from that time will begin to retire and bring in a new view of the importance of cultivating our future officers.
 
Wow - this is quite snobbish coming from one who is a West Point grad. Doesn't your Alma Mater pride itself on their strict qualifications and their brainy student body? Do they not pride themselves in delivering a world class, well rounded education?
I hope the Army is never too good for a Havahd graduate. When that day comes that we actually desire to dumb down the officer corps - that would be a sad day for America.
So what do we have here - we tell kids they need super SAT's and grades to earn a scholarship but you don't want them to go to a school that is 'too smart'. Yep, take bright kids and keep 'em dumb. wow.

But you are entitled to your superior opinion.
The 'smarties' at Harvard always had the opportunity to join AROTC, and they did. Do you seriously want to keep people out of the Army because they are too intelligent? Your attitude is sad and pathetic and out of step with Army leadership.
Fortunately being a badass chopper pilot doesn't appear to be a qualification for deciding the make up of the officer corps.

I probably shouldn't jump in the middle of this, nor does Scout need me to defend him. I don't think Scout really said any of those things. He simply said (in Scout's unique way) that he didn't need Harvard's allowing ROTC on campus to validate whether or not he was performing an "honorable public service".
 
For any further interest check out Advocates for ROTC http://www.advocatesforrotc.org
We've been following this for more than a year before our DD has applied to some of these schools. It's board is run by some amazing retired officers who have played a large part in implementing these changes.
 
Wow - this is quite snobbish coming from one who is a West Point grad. Doesn't your Alma Mater pride itself on their strict qualifications and their brainy student body? Do they not pride themselves in delivering a world class, well rounded education?
I hope the Army is never too good for a Havahd graduate. When that day comes that we actually desire to dumb down the officer corps - that would be a sad day for America.
So what do we have here - we tell kids they need super SAT's and grades to earn a scholarship but you don't want them to go to a school that is 'too smart'. Yep, take bright kids and keep 'em dumb. wow.

But you are entitled to your superior opinion.
The 'smarties' at Harvard always had the opportunity to join AROTC, and they did. Do you seriously want to keep people out of the Army because they are too intelligent? Your attitude is sad and pathetic and out of step with Army leadership.
Fortunately being a badass chopper pilot doesn't appear to be a qualification for deciding the make up of the officer corps.

The fact that you think my point was "let's dumb down the officer corps" then your literacy is seriously in question. If you HONESTLY think I stated anything close to wanting to keep people out of the Army because they're too intelligent, you may need anti-psychotics, because you literally had to fabricate that notion out of thin air.

What I did say, and stand by, is that I find the notion that we should all rejoice because Harvard let us lowly military types back into their hallowed fold is what's pathetic. Harvard will allow us back! Oh joy! Swing low, sweet chariot! Now we have worth! Our mighty struggle for righteousness has come to an end!

Give me a break. We have never gone wanting for extremely intelligent officers. Believe it or not, Harvard is NOT the only school with outstanding talent. As even you pointed out, MIT is right down the road and I've yet to see them admit many slouches. In fact, my best friend is assigned to the ROTC unit there and I'll put any of his cadets against any product from Hahvahd. Then there's this school called Stanford. They've been producing officers for about 150 years. I hear they're pretty bright kids. But they're not Harvard, so pointing that out must be further evidence of my scheme to keep the Army dumb. I suppose the fact that Princeton has outstanding ROTC opportunities is also evidence of our nefarious desire to "take smart kids and keep them dumb." We couldn't get anyone from there who could compare to the super humans that Harvard could offer to our lowly mercenary--I mean military--venture.

But no, no, we're getting off topic. We must rejoice, for Harvard has decided in the year 2012 that Army officers are public servants.

What do you know about Army leadership anyway?
 
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