For the first time, Macon State students interested in Army ROTC will get a chance to participate, thanks to a new agreement with Mercer University.

Under the agreement, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2012, qualified Macon State students will be able to enroll in military science courses for credit through Mercer University’s ROTC program. The ROTC courses are taught on Mercer’s campus. Macon State students would be able to transfer those Mercer ROTC credits to their Macon State degree programs. 

The agreement is significant because students with opportunities to receive ROTC scholarships may now choose Macon State to earn their bachelor’s degrees. Scholarships recipients must attend a college or university with an ROTC program.

Maj. Jason Miller, officer-in-charge of Mercer’s ROTC program, said the university recruits ROTC students right out of high school.  Since the recruiting season for fall 2012 is winding down, Miller sees the new agreement as initially giving current Macon State students a chance to pursue ROTC scholarships for their junior and senior years.

“It opens us up to a different demographic of students to recruit,” Miller said. “We’re looking forward to providing this great opportunity to kids at Macon State.”

Generally, the ROTC basic course is completed during the freshman and sophomore years. As it is for others who join ROTC after already completing some college, qualified Macon State students would be able to “catch up” by entering the Army ROTC advanced course and completing the Leader's Training Course held at Fort Knox, Ky. Once they successfully complete that course, students could qualify for a $5,000 bonus and a two-year ROTC scholarship.

Students who accept ROTC scholarships commit to four years of active duty service and an additional four years of individual ready reserve (IRR) duty. Miller said ROTC’s basic courses also are open to non-scholarship students who want to take them without committing to Army service.

Dr. Martha Venn, Macon State’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the ROTC agreement is the latest manifestation of President Jeff Allbritten’s charge to forge more partnerships with other institutions in the region.

“We are proud to be able to give our students interested in ROTC the chance to pursue it, and we are grateful to Mercer for the willingness to make it possible,” she said.

Macon State students interested in ROTC should contact Maj. A.J. Cox, the enrollment officer at Mercer, at 478-301-2872 or cox_aj@mercer.edu.

About Army ROTC:
According to its website, Army ROTC is the largest officer-producing organization with the American military, having commissioned more than half a million second lieutenants since its inception. Army ROTC has a total of 273 programs located at colleges and universities throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, with an enrollment of more than 20,000. It produces approximately 60 percent of the second lieutenants who join the active Army, the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. More than 40 percent of current active duty Army General Officers were commissioned through the ROTC.

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