HRPC Conclusions on ROTC

Following are excerpts from the conclusions of the Harvard-Radcliffe Policy Committee report on ROTC:

1) The Departments of Military Science, Naval Science, and Aerospace Studies are externally controlled Departments and are not subject to regular Harvard institutional control as are regular Harvard Departments. Harvard has no assurance that its standards of appropriate academic content and conduct will be met, for its only clear control over the ROTC Departments is its power to reject their programs entirely. ROTC Departments are neither purely Administrative Departments nor fully Academic Departments. The ROTC Departments do not have the privileges of recommending tenured Faculty appointments and recommending the granting of degrees. They do have the privilege of recommending that academic credit toward a degree be granted for completion of ROTC courses. The extension of this privilege to an externally controlled body represents an undesirable delegation of the Harvard Faculty's autonomy; and, thus, the privilege should be withdrawn.

2) Academic credit is Harvard's clearest indication that work is being done which is appropriate for application towards a liberal arts degree. The ROTC programs clearly pursue military training goals rather than liberal education goals. Therefore, credit towards a liberal arts degree should not be granted for completion of work in the ROTC courses.