ROTC Program Returns To UW-La Crosse After Fears It Would Be Cut

Cadets enrolled in University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Army ROTC program are returning to school, despite last year’s fears that the program would be cut.

The UWL-based ROTC Eagle Battalion includes 65 students from UWL, Viterbo University, Winona State University and St. Mary’s University. It received word last year that the U.S. Army was phasing out the program. The Army then reversed its decision, put the program on probation, and developed a set of new benchmarks.

Eagle Battalion has exceeded the Army’s annual expectations of commissioning ROTC officers to the National Guard, Army Reserves, or active duty. Also, almost 23 percent of the cadets there are graduating with science, technology, engineering, and math degrees, which is above the national average.

Eagle Battalion Commander Lt. Col. James Hill said the Army is aiming for 30 percent of ROTC graduates to have STEM degrees because of the technology changes in the military. He said that ROTC does not encourage students to pursue STEM careers if they’re not interested, but that the technological changes are more apparent in the military science classes the students take.

“These new changes are going to help them improve their academic performance,” said Hill. “It’s going to be more in line with science, technology, engineering and math the way that it’s going — virtual battle space training and simulators and those kind of things.”

Hill said some ROTC students left UWL after the program was put on probation and transferred to universities with more stable ROTC programs. Despite the losses, the classes are almost at capacity.

The Army will now evaluate all ROTC programs annually.