Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC)
Professor: Turnbull (Chair)
Assistant Professors: Marchesini, Hopkins, Hubler
Objectives
The AFROTC objectives are to:
- Recruit, select, and retain officer candidates until they are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force;
- Provide college-level education that qualifies cadets for commissioning in the U.S. Air Force; and
- Develop each cadet’s sense of personal integrity, honor, and individual responsibility; enhance knowledge of how the U.S. Air Force serves the national interest; increase understanding of officer professionalism in the U.S. Air Force; and develop potential as a leader and manager.
Program
The Department of Aerospace Studies offers three-year, and four-year curricula leading to a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force. In the four-year curriculum, a student takes the General Military Course (GMC) during the freshman and sophomore years, attends a four-week summer training program, and then takes the Professional Officer Course (POC) in the junior and senior years. A student is under no contractual obligation to the Air Force until entering the POC or accepting an Air Force scholarship. In the three-year curriculum, a student a student completes AER 101, 102, 201, and 202 during the sophomore year, and then enters the POC in the junior year. The subject matter of the freshman and sophomore years is developed from a historical perspective and focuses on the scope, structure, and history of military power with the emphasis on the development of air power and its relationship to current events. During the junior and senior years the curriculum concentrates on the concepts and practices of leadership and management, and the role of national security forces in contemporary American society.
In addition to the academic portion of the curricula, each student participates in a two-hour Leadership Laboratory each week. During this period the day-to-day skills and working environment of the Air Force are discussed and explained. The Leadership Lab utilizes a student organization designed for the practice of leadership and management techniques.
Air Force ROTC offers scholarships for two, three, and four years on a competitive basis to qualified applicants. All scholarships are applied to tuition and lab fees, and include a textbook allowance, plus a tax-free monthly stipend which varies from $300 to $500, depending on graduation date.