Norwich University Corps of Cadets and ROTC

This is an archived copy of the 2013-14 Catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.norwich.edu/.

For more than 180 years, Norwich University has prepared young men, and since 1974 young women, for roles as “citizen soldiers.”

When Captain Alden Partridge founded the university at Norwich, Vermont in 1819, he established the first private college in the United States to include in its basic organization military training for its students. Today, the U.S. Army officially credits Captain Partridge’s “citizen soldier” concept as the forerunner of today’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).

The Norwich University Corps of Cadets is organized as a self-governing group in which each cadet learns the value of discipline and the essential nature of leadership. Participation in ROTC, including military labs and physical training, is an integral part of the Corps leadership experience. Cadets must enroll in either Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps ROTC to maintain membership in the Corps of Cadets. To be eligible to graduate in uniform as a member of the Corps of Cadets and qualify for a Corps diploma, a cadet must successfully complete three years, six semesters, of ROTC courses, 2 each, at the 100, 200, and 300 levels respectively. Cadets seeking commissions are required to complete a fourth year of ROTC and meet all other requirements established by the commissioning branch.

The ROTC programs exist to commission well-educated officers into the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in sufficient numbers to meet the requirements of these services. The general objectives of the programs are to provide understanding of the principles of military, aerospace, and naval science; to develop comprehension of associated professional knowledge; to build attitudes of integrity, honor, and individual responsibility; and to encourage appreciation of national security requirements. These objectives support the mission of Norwich University and the Corps of Cadets and augment the training plan necessary to prepare cadets for service to the Nation as soldiers and citizens.

To be enrolled in Norwich University’s ROTC program or courses, a student must be a member of the Corps of Cadets, with the exception of nursing students.