Tomorrow's Leaders Shaped Here
Get more out of college than just preparation for a career. Learn leadership skills you can use for the rest of your life. Graduate with an opportunity for a career and a lifestyle of service and honor. Join the Western New England College ROTC program.
The ROTC Program
There are two routes to an Army or Air Force commission for Western New England College students through the Senior ROTC Program: the four-year program or the two-year program for transfer and upper-class students. The Army program is headquartered on the Western New England College campus with a full-time staff. The Air Force program is headquartered at the University of Massachusetts but offers all academic and physical fitness at Western New England College. Remaining classes are offered at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
ROTC Benefits
• Money for College—Full two-, three-, and four-year scholarships are available.• Cash for Living—Students who commit to serve after graduation receive monthly stipends that increase each year.
• Credits for School—ROTC courses count toward College credit. Earn up to 18 credits at Western New England College during your four years in the program.
• Opportunity for a Career—Graduates can serve on Active Duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves.
Exclusive ROTC Scholarship Opportunities
The Army ROTC program offers full scholarships to Cadets who commit to military service following graduation. Scholarships are available for lengths of two, three, or four years.
The Air Force ROTC program offers a variety of competitive and non-competitive scholarship programs offering up to full-tuition for Western New England College students.
Both Army and Air Force Scholarships cover:
• Tuition
• All Mandatory Fees
• Room (by grant from Western New England College)
• Board for 4 year scholarship recipients (by grant from Western New England College), stipend for residents of Gateway and Evergreen
• Annual Book Allotment
Air Force ROTC Curriculum
The Air Force ROTC program is divided into two sections, the General Military Course for freshmen and sophomores, and the Professional Officers Course for juniors and seniors. Students incur no military commitment for participation in any courses. Scholarship and Professional Officer Course Cadets are contracted to a four-year Active Duty service commitment upon graduation.
Air Force Curriculum
General Military Course
(Freshman and Sophomore Year)
• Air Force Today 1
• Air Force Today 2
• Air Force Way 1
• Air Force Way 2
• Advanced Physical Fitness
Professional Officers Course
(Junior and Senior Year)
• Leadership 1
• Leadership 2
• National Security Studies
• Preparation for Active Duty
• Advanced Physical Fitness
Physical fitness training is conducted for one hour on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Leadership Laboratory—Training for Lifelong Success
Leadership Laboratory (LLab) is an integral and mandatory portion of the Aerospace Studies curriculum. Within the framework of a cadet corps, it provides a progression of experiences designed to develop each student's leadership potential and serve as an orientation to active duty in the U.S. Air Force.
The first two years of LLab involve activities classified as initial leadership experiences. They include a study of Air Force customs and courtesies, drill and ceremonies and giving military commands; instructing, correcting, and evaluating the preceding skills; studying the environment of an Air Force officer; and learning about opportunities available to commissioned officers.
The last two years of LLab consist of activities classified as advanced leadership experiences. They involve the planning, organizing, staffing, coordinating, directing, and controlling of the military activities of the cadet corps; preparation and presentation of briefings and other oral and written communications; and providing interviews, guidance, and information which will increase the understanding, motivation, and performance of other cadets.
Army ROTC Curriculum
The Army ROTC program is divided into two sections, the Basic Course for freshmen and sophomores, and the Advanced Course for juniors and seniors. Students incur no military commitment for participation in any courses. Cadets contracted in the Advanced Course agree to a military service commitment upon graduation either on Active Duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves. These upper-class Cadets gain ever-increasing responsibility as they serve as leaders, commanding fellow Cadets during weekly Leadership Laboratory training.
Army ROTC Courses
Basic Course
(Freshman and Sophomore year)
• Foundations of Leadership
• Basic Leadership
• Individual Leadership
• Leadership and Teamwork
Advance Course
(Junior and Senior year)
• Military Leadership 1
• Military Leadership 2
• Army Officership 1
• Army Officership 2
Leadership Laboratory—Training for Lifelong Success
This is one lab that doesn’t use beakers and bunsen burners. Weekly Leadership Laboratories allow you to put the skills and values learned in the classroom into practice in exciting, real military training scenarios. Exercises include:
• Rappelling
• Military Tactics
• Land Navigation and Orienteering
• Confidence and Team Building Activities
Physical fitness training is conducted for one hour on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Once you agree to a military commitment, you will complete a paid five-week field-training exercise on an active base during the summer between your junior and senior year, designed to offer Cadets firsthand experience in a working military environment. You can train at some of the most advanced U.S. military schools in the world including:
• Airborne School
• Army Special Forces School
• Air Assault School
• Mountain Warfare School
Program Instructors
Both Army and Air Force ROTC has the status of a separate academic department. Instructors are active duty military officers accorded the academic rank of assistant professor. The unit commander has an academic rank of full professor.
Extracurricular Activities
ROTC Cadets earn the distinction of participating in:
• Drill Team
• Light Leaders Society
• Color Guard
• Scabbard and Blade
• Honor Guard
• Ranger Challenge
Cadets also compete on unit-sponsored intramural teams and attend military social events such as ROTC dinners and military balls.
Enrollment Criteria
The first two years of the ROTC College program, the Initial Military Training/Basic Course, are open to all students who are at least 17 years old. Scholarship recipients and contracted cadets must meet Air Force or Army ROTC and Department of Defense Eligibility Standards ranging from physical fitness to U.S. citizenship. Unless a waiver is granted, individuals must be commissioned prior to age 30.
Active Duty Service Commitments
Cadets in the advanced program and second-year scholarship cadets are called "contract cadets" and agree to accept a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force/Army.
• Most cadets incur a four-year, active duty commitment.
• Air Force pilots and navigators incur a ten-year and six-year service commitment, respectively.
• Army cadets must serve six to eight years in the Army Reserve or Active Duty, or a combination of both.
For more information on the Army ROTC program, please contact Captain Jim Laudato at 413-545-5364 or email jlaudato@acad.umass.edu.
For more information on the Air Force ROTC program, call 413-545-2437 or email afotc@acad.umass.edu.
