Air Force ROTC unit established at Yale

  • Published
  • By Maj. Joel Harper
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AFNS) --  The secretary of the Air Force and the president of Yale University signed an agreement here Sept. 12 establishing an Air Force ROTC detachment on the campus, which marks a renewed presence at Yale for the Air Force.

Yale's commitment to service, intellectual excellence and diversity make it the right school for a renewed and invigorated AFROTC presence, said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley.

"First, a permanent presence for Air Force ROTC will make it easier for Yale students who are interested in military service to access ROTC education and training opportunities," Donley said. "Second, a Yale presence will give the Air Force a way to connect and engage with some of the brightest and most diverse students in America."

But just as important, said the secretary, is that the return of an Air Force ROTC presence on campus will be an everyday example to the Yale community of the men and women who wear the nation's cloth and whose service and sacrifice protect America's freedoms and keep the country secure.

"I am honored that Yale will host an Air Force ROTC detachment," said University President Richard C. Levin. "Yale students will make great contributions to the Air Force, as they do in whatever career they choose.

"I am pleased that the Air Force has taken this important step to make it easier for the most talented young men and women who aspire to leadership in our military to gain a Yale education," Levin said. "In my view, the military and Yale will both benefit from this relationship."

Yale University was among the original 77 AFROTC detachments activated in 1946 and operated on campus until 1957. In recent years, Yale students have been able to take Air Force ROTC courses at the University of Connecticut's Storrs campus. This year, two Yale graduates completed that program and were commissioned as Air Force second lieutenants.

Classes for cadets will begin on campus in New Haven in the fall of 2012. In addition to Yale College students, the Yale detachment will enroll students from other universities in the state that participate under cross-town arrangements to take the ROTC program at Yale.