We have a cadre of eight, meaning six instructors and two support staff. Our instructors of military science teach everything from leadership and problem solving to management and physical fitness. Currently, we have 82 cadets in the program, although the numbers change as new students join the program and others graduate. Although most of the cadets are CSUF students, we also have cadets who are enrolled at Biola University, UCI and some of the local community colleges.

Yes, some students enroll in the classes to see if ROTC is the right fit for them. However, if you are contracted with the ROTC program, you have to take at least nine classes in military science in addition to your other college classes. And, military science isn’t a major – all of our students are majoring in other areas such as business, history and education. If you can’t fit all of those classes into your schedule, we offer special “camp” programs that meet for several weekends or a week or two at a time. These are used in lieu of military academic requirements.

We’re always recruiting whether there’s a war or not. Certainly the war makes some students wary of ROTC but for others, it’s an incentive because they consider it part of their patriotic duty. Our goal is to increase the number of cadets in our program by 30 percent over the next two years.

They are commissioned for eight years. The Army doesn’t force students to go on active duty unless they sign up for the active duty scholarship – and many do, by the way. So, a cadet can choose whether he/she prefers active, reserve or National Guard duty.