Leatherneck Nation

ST_Lawson wrote: Sun Jul 27, 2025 8:15 pm

4EverPurple&Gold wrote: Sun Jul 27, 2025 4:14 pm wow this is pretty crazy news... had a good amount of friends that were in the ROTC program when I was there.

I hate to say this, but is the end near for WIU?? 


 

No, this wasn't a WIU decision, this was a Army decision. Northern Iowa, Truman State, Cal Poly, and a handful of other schools lost theirs as well, and a lot of schools had their ROTC programs downgraded.
Despite the university's strong military heritage, we only had 44 students in ROTC and maybe only half of them actually came to Western specifically to do ROTC, so we're losing probably around 5-10 students per freshmen class because of it. It sucks, don't get me wrong, but this means very little to the overall health of the university.

 

Thanks for the clarification 

The decision has been rescinded: https://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.ph ... e_id=20871

Good news,  but I think WIU better try to bolster the ROTC program a bit.   I want it to stay far away from the chopping block
 

Army reverses course, won’t deactivate WIU ROTC program.
From Tri-States Public Radio, WIUM-FM:
https://www.tspr.org/tspr-local-news/20 ... tc-program
 
 

From WGEM: 

The WIU ROTC program will operate as an extension unit.

In an interview with WGEM News Wednesday afternoon, Interim Provost Mark Mossman described what it means to operate as an extension unit:  “The military employees will be coming out of Illinois State. It’s an extension of Illinois State, rather than we hire directly on to Western’s campus,“ Mossman said.

Mossman said administrators went directly into “advocacy mode” after WIU was informed of the Army’s initial decision to deactivate the program.

55 students are currently in the ROTC program -- up from 44 last year.