My two-cents worth...

As a product of the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Minnesoty
(I was  commissioned in 1976) I wholeheartedly support the idea.  Now is
the hard part - I have absolutely no idea what is involved in starting, or
in this case re-starting, an ROTC detatchment.

The benefits to the cadets are many, including a type of cameradrie not
usually found in sororities or fraternaties.  I made lifelong friends
there, and still keep in touch with several of my fellow "Rats On Toasted
Cheese".

One of the major benefits to the University is that the cadets have a
support network of friends and detatchment personnel, and that tends to
free up University resources.

I suspect that the demands of the military (need for commissioned officers,
types of majors offered at UTC vs. the career-area needs of the service)
dictate the feasibility. (Also, if I recall correctly, the Army shut down
the former program, not the University.) Given the events of this week, if
one were wanting to start a detatchment, now would be the time to drum up
support.  Good luck.

Cindy White
College of Business Administration
Department of Management


At 01:25 PM 9/13/01 -0400, you wrote:
>It was recently brought to my attention that UTC once had a Military
>Science (Army ROTC) Department. I was told that the lack of involvement and
>declining graduates lead to the removal of the ROTC Department. My military
>associates in Chattanooga have told me that there is an interest within the
>community to reopen the department. I was also told that a number of
>students leave Chattanooga because of the lack of a ROTC Department. Would
>it seem feasible to open a Military Science Department at UTC?
>
>
>
>
>
>Manuel Santiago
>Assistant Professor
>Department of Chemistry
>University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
>615 McCallie Avenue
>Chattanooga, Tennessee  37403
>phone   (423) 755-5364
>FAX     (423) 755-5234
>Web     www.utc.edu/chemdept
>