Source: United States Navy
The NROTC Summer Seminar program, which held its inaugural session last June on the Villanova University campus, was modeled off the curriculum and events established by the United States Naval Academy for prospective students in Annapolis. The four-day seminar provides rising high school seniors a better understanding of the balance between college life and the rigors and requirements of an NROTC commitment.
“This program is an outstanding opportunity to expose those with a propensity for military service to experience life as an NROTC Midshipmen, while showing them what makes the Villanova community so special,” said Marine Corps Col. Vincent Ciuccoli, Commanding Officer of the Philadelphia NROTC Consortium and a 1994 Villanova graduate. “Some very engaged alumni brought the idea forward and with overall recruiting numbers sagging nationwide, and we thought it was time to be more proactive and do our part to expose more people to the incredible opportunities NROTC can provide. It was only because of the great support from leadership at our host institution that we were able to design and execute such a one-of-a-kind summer program. For so many of these students, it’s ‘Naval Academy or bust.’ This seminar exposes another path to becoming a naval officer while getting a great education at a prestigious university.”
Villanova NROTC decided to experiment with this particular form of outreach and education to inform students about NROTC and the benefits of scholarships and other training opportunities. Current staff and alumni – cognizant of the dropping recruiting number nationwide and at Villanova – began the planning for the inaugural seminar in 2021. They collaborated over the course of ten months to build the program.
More than 50 students applied from across the country for admittance into the first seminar last year, with the final 32 participants selected based on their total fitness – moral, mental and physical – through their junior year in high school, similar to how service academies and ROTC units select students for admission.
The students received four days of valuable insight into the rigorous academic studies and the physical fitness required to obtain a NROTC scholarship, as well as valuable information on how to gain entrance into a top tier university. They received tours of the university, met with current professors, and interacted at length with current NROTC midshipmen and recently commissioned graduates, who were primarily responsible for the entirety of the training program. The students also had the opportunity to hear from the Father Peter Donahue, Villanova University president.
“For their first time doing the program, they have a wonderful representation of men and women from across the country,’ said Fr. Donahue last year. “Villanova is inspiring them to ignite change!”
The purpose of the NROTC Program is to educate and train qualified young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the Navy’s unrestricted line, the Navy Nurse Corps and the Marine Corps. As the largest single source of Navy and Marine Corps officers, the Naval ROTC Scholarship Program plays an important role in preparing mature young men and women for leadership and management positions in an increasingly technical Navy and Marine Corps.
This year’s seminar will be held June 18-22 at Villanova University. Eligible rising high school seniors can apply by visiting: https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/nrotc/summer-programs.html