Government cuts back

Military conflicts are multiplying around the globe. While U.S. Army and Marine Corps units fight a war in the streets and valleys of Afghanistan, the Egyptian government has crumbled from a rebellion of its people, putting Israeli and American forces on high alert. An open revolt in Libya may result in U.S. involvement. Tensions are high in the Korean Peninsula.

Yet despite the unpredictable world military situation, Norwich is accepting fewer recruits and has fewer four-year ROTC scholarship recipients with the next rook class, according to Richard Schneider, university president.

The U.S. military has reduced spending for ROTC scholarships, which has affected Norwich's bottom line.

"The military is cutting back, they don't need as many second lieutenants and ensigns," Schneider said. "They're getting ready for President Obama's slash of the Department of Defense."

Schneider questions this cut-back.

"Let me tell you, if we go to North Korea, the number of ROTC scholarships is going to increase rapidly. The United States military needs officers," said Schneider. "And there will always be wars."

The U.S. Armed Forces are "drawing down," decreasing their officer numbers, after ending a major conflict in Iraq and working to leave Afghanistan within the next decade.

Other changes within the military are affecting the need for officers. For example, in the U.S. Air Force, pilots (who must be college-degree holding officers) are less in-demand, being replaced with drones flown by enlisted service members.

The result is that Norwich is accepting fewer four-year ROTC scholarships from high school students each year.

In the fall of 2009, a record number of four-year ROTC scholarships came to Norwich: 123 scholarships from the freshmen class alone, from all different branches. This academic year, in the fall of 2010, only 70 four-year ROTC scholarships came to Norwich.

For the fall of 2011, Norwich expects no more than 55 four-year ROTC scholarships to attend. This loss of money puts a significant financial burden on the university.

"We received almost $3.2 million from those four-year ROTC scholarships in fall of 2009," Schneider said. "This year, with only 70 scholarships, nearly half as many as last year, we're only receiving $1.9 million from the military in ROTC scholarships."

"While I've been able to compensate for at least a million of those dollars in school cutbacks, we still have to account for the other $400,000 we won't be receiving from the military. It's hard for a senior military college like us to operate with these huge fluctuations in ROTC scholarships," Schneider said.

As money tightens, the competition in each branch for commis

sioned officers intensifies.

 The U.S. Army ROTC on campus is changing its approach to selecting cadets for ROTC scholarships.

"In the past, we've had many cadets come here to Norwich, already having four-year ROTC scholarships," said Maj. Matthew Landrum, recruiting operations officer. "We are changing the process, now, the Army isn't selecting as many scholarship recipients before they come here. The Army wants to see cadets get selected for campus-based Army ROTC scholarships, rather than national-based."

The U.S. Army used to offer more scholarships to students in high school who sought money to pay for college while signing a contract to serve in the Army. These are national-based scholarships, which high school students compete for, nationally, in their last years of high school.

Now, the Army wants to cut down on national-based scholarships, in order to ensure that only the most qualified cadets receive financial assistance from an Army ROTC scholarship, according to Maj. Landrum.

"Now, when cadets come to college to compete, we get to watch and see who the best cadets are, ourselves," Maj. Landrum said. "With campus-based Army ROTC scholarships, only the most legitimate cadets we see get awarded the benefits of fully-paid tuition."

Other service branches are handling their selection process in a different manner. At Norwich Air Force ROTC, the selection process is slightly different.

"We offer scholarships of different levels, or "types," to assist Air Force cadets seeking a commission in the Air Force," said Capt. Alastair Gee, Air Force ROTC admissions officer and freshmen instructor. "These types are awarded to Air Force cadets based on the individual merit of each cadet applying."