UH may add Navy officer training unit
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
The University of Hawai'i has had an Army ROTC program since 1921 and an Air Force unit that this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Now the university is considering becoming a full military service provider by adding a Navy unit.
With the importance of Pearl Harbor as a Navy base, the question might be, why doesn't the university already have one?
"It's an interesting question, and that's part of the reason we're looking into it," said Karl Kim, UH's interim vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Kim stressed that the university is in the very early stages of the process. The nation's 58 Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps units are the single largest sources of Navy and Marine Corps officers.
The Army ROTC program at UH is ranked first in the nation for officer production. Its mission requirement is to produce 15 second lieutenants a year who enter active-duty service, the National Guard or Reserves. This year, 34 are expected to be commissioned.
Approximately 154 cadets are in the Army ROTC program at UH, which offers scholarships covering the cost of tuition and books and monthly stipends.
The Air Force program is similarly successful, ranking in the top 10 nationally for number of cadets and number commissioned as second lieutenants each year. There are 145 students in the program, and 23 are expected to be commissioned this year.
The military services provide instructors, while the university provides classroom and facility space on the lower campus.
"Here in Hawai'i, there's such an appreciation for the military already and a broad interest and awareness that it's kind of hard not to have a successful ROTC program," said Lt. Col. Fred Schlich, who heads up the UH Air Force program.
"Both the Army and Air Force programs are doing very well, and we have no objection to a naval program coming into the university," said Lt. Col. Bob Takao, who heads up the Army program. "We believe there are enough qualified candidates to meet all three service requirements."
The Navy's Baccalaureate Degree Completion Program allows four-year college students to swear in on inactive status, and get full Navy benefits for three years for technical degree programs or two years for non-technical degrees before graduating and heading to Officer Candidate School, said Lt. Matthew Stonehouse, who is in charge of Navy recruiting for Hawai'i.
Fewer than 20 students are in the program in Hawai'i, Stonehouse said. Last year, about 50 Hawai'i college-bound students applied to Mainland Navy ROTC programs, he said.
The Chief of Naval Education and Training in Pensacola, Fla., directs Navy ROTC programs and units.
The secretary of the Navy makes decisions regarding unit establishments, said Joy White, a spokeswoman for CNET.
UH's board of regents also would have to approve a Navy ROTC program.
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
