Harvard Welcomes Back ROTC

Harvard University's president announced Thursday it will formally welcome back the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program back to campus following the decision by Congress to repeal "don't ask, don't tell."

Harvard president Drew Faust and Navy secretary Ray Mabus will sign an agreement reestablishing the Reserve Officers Training Corps on campus for the first time in nearly 40 years.

"Our renewed relationship affirms the vital role that the members of our Armed Forces play in serving the nation and securing our freedoms, while also affirming inclusion and opportunity as powerful American ideals," Faust said. "It broadens the pathways for students to participate in an honorable and admirable calling and in so doing advances our commitment to both learning and service."

ROTC has not had a formal presence on the campus since the height of the Vietnam War and has not been welcomed back in recent years because of the military's ban on openly gay service members.

With this new agreement, Harvard will appoint a director of Naval ROTC and resume direct financial responsibility for the costs of its students' participation in the program.

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