ONE SMALL STEP FOR MANKIND – AT 10:52 A.M. ET:   Columbia University, which became a major symbol of resistance to ROTC, has now officially decided to accept the return of NROTC.

The Ivy League school, which once educated more than 20,000 Navy officers, and whose officer training was featured in "The Caine Mutiny," turned against ROTC during the trendy late sixties.  Now, thanks in part to a young generation that doesn't share the juvenile anti-military attitudes of that bad time, Columbia has decided to open the door once more.  From the Columbia Spectator:

Columbia has reached an agreement with the U.S. Navy to officially recognize a Naval ROTC program on campus, University President Lee Bollinger said in a statement.

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps has not been recognized by Columbia since 1969, when protests over the Vietnam War led to the elimination of Columbia's longstanding NROTC program. Bollinger told Spectator that the agreement is a “historic turning point” for the University.

“I really wanted to do what the community wanted to do,” Bollinger said. “So in that, I am pleased that the outcome is definite and points in the direction of reengagement.”

Columbia students currently enrolled in NROTC will continue to participate in military training programs and classes through a consortium at the State University of New York Maritime College in Queens, but the new agreement means that Columbia can give them academic credit for this work.

Navy spokesperson Tamara Lawrence said that it is not unusual for a school to participate in NROTC through a nearby school with an already-established program. But the agreement will give NROTC a “very visible” presence at Columbia, she added.

“The ROTC program will certainly benefit from being at Columbia,” Lawrence said. “That is absolutely a relationship we’ll be able to open up and offer up some choices for students.”

COMMENT:  This follows the return of NROTC to Harvard.  At one time colleges participated actively in national defense.  Many, especially in the South and Midwest, still do.  We hope the examples set by Harvard and Columbia will lead other "elite" schools to condescend to become part of the country once again.

April 23, 2011