ROTC (Air Force)

R. Dennis Rider, Col., USAF, Head

Professor: R. Dennis Rider

Assistant Professors: C. A. Biehn; R. M. Elliot; J. N. Fawcett; J. H. McGuire; J. Pokorski

Advisor: (231-6404)

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) provides a program of leadership development which prepares college men and women for service as commissioned officers in the United States Air Force. After graduation, they assume active duty positions in both flying and non-flying specialities. To accomplish this, the Department of Aerospace Studies recruits, selects, retains, and commissions officer candidates as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force. AFROTC:

Provides ethics and values education, stressing the Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.
Prepares cadets to be commissioned as second lieutenants through a curriculum which develops leadership and management skills and provides opportunities to use these skills in a variety of practical applications.
Provides an understanding of how to lead and influence small organizations, with a strong emphasis on personal integrity, honor, individual responsibility. The techniques of effective leadership and quality management are stressed to achieve mission accomplishment.
Enhances the cadets' understanding of the role of the military in society and provides an in-depth orientation to history and tradition of the Air Force and how the Air Force serves the nation. This goal is reinforced by summer hands-on leadership training and career orientation opportunities at Air Force bases around the country.
In conjunction with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, provides programs and experiences which increase self-confidence, self-discipline, accountability, physical stamina, poise, and other traits essential to the development of a leader of character who is prepared to serve the nation or the commonwealth both in and out of uniform.

The curriculum and leader development programs of the Department of Aerospace Studies are mentally and physically challenging. Cadets learn basic military skills and participate in a demanding physical conditioning program starting in the freshman year. The program moves progressively from followership to leadership experiences and culminates with the senior class cadets planning, organizing, and administering all leadership training for the cadet group. On-campus instruction is conducted both in the classroom by Air Force officers and in the field environment by both officer and cadet leaders. Semiannual visits to Air Force bases expand the cadets' knowledge of Air Force operations and life-style. A demanding summer field training encampment prior to the junior year prepares the cadet for acceptance to the commissioning track.

Air Force ROTC offers four-, three-, and two-year tracks. Four- and three-year track cadets must complete four semester hours of AFROTC academics prior to a four-week summer encampment. The two-year track cadets complete a six-week summer encampment where they receive the freshman and sophomore academic courses in addition to the normal four-week field training course of instruction. Students who have Junior ROTC, other-service ROTC, national guard, reserve, or active duty military experience may request credit and advanced placement.

Scholarships: Air Force ROTC offers four, three, and two-year scholarships which are based on merit, not need. Though scholarship awards vary, most pay all tuition, books and approved university fees. High school seniors who are interested in the four-year or guaranteed three-year scholarships must apply through their high school's guidance office in the fall of their senior year. Non-scholarship cadets may apply for three- and two-year scholarships during their freshman and sophomore years. All students who are contracted into the AFROTC program (includes all scholarship winners and those juniors and seniors holding a commissioning contract) receive a tax-free stipend of $150 per month while in school. Additionally, AFROTC is currently providing a $1,000 per semester scholarship to all contracted junior and senior cadets in good academic standing.

Virginia Tech requires membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets to be enrolled in ROTC. All freshman and sophomore cadets, as well as contracted junior and senior cadets, receive a special Air Force uniform allowance to offset the cost of cadet uniforms. The Corps of Cadets also provides need- and merit-based scholarships for deserving cadets.

Membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and completion of four years of Air Force ROTC may qualify a student to receive a concentration in leadership. The leadership progression program of the Corps of Cadets and the leadership education inherent in the AFROTC program in combination allow the student to earn this leadership concentrationan academic achievement only available at Virginia Tech. Contact the Center for Leader Development, 540-231-7136, for information on how to apply for the leadership concentration.

Air Force ROTC builds leaders and offers every student who successfully completes the program a job upon graduation. The basic requirements for commissioning are: award of a degree from Virginia Tech including successful completion of a 3-hour course in mathematical reasoning and 16 hours of AFROTC (scholarship cadets must also complete a foreign language and English composition requirement); be a U.S. citizen of good moral character; meet medical and physical standards; achieve passing scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test; and willingly accept a four-year service commitment.

Undergraduate Courses (AS)

1115-1116: THE AIR FORCE TODAY

General military course. Study of U.S. Air Force mission and organization, strategic offensive and defensive forces, general purpose forces, and aerospace support forces. Develops communicative skills. Leadership Lab: drill and ceremonies, careers in Air Force, Air Force environment. (2H,2L,2C) 1115: I; 1116: II.

2115-2116: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AIR POWER

A general military course. A study of air power from balloons through the jet age; historical review of air power employment in U.S. military and non-military operations; and the evolution of air power concepts and doctrine. Develop communicative skills. Leadership Lab: Air Force environment, drill and ceremonies, and field training orientation. Pre: 1115, 1116. (2H,2L,2C) 2115: I; 2116: II.

3215-3216: AIR FORCE MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

First year professional officer course, an integrated management study emphasizing the concepts and skills required by the successful manager and leader. Includes individual motivational and behavioral processes, leadership, military ethics, communication, and group dynamics that provide the foundation for the development of the junior officer's professional skills. Examines actual Air Force case studies. Leadership Lab: advanced leadership experiences. Pre: 2116. (3H,2L,3C) 3215: I; 3216: II.

4215-4216: NATIONAL SECURITY FORCES IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SOCIETY

Second year professional officer course, a study of U.S. National Security Policy which examines the formulation, organization, and implementation of national security; evolution of strategy; management of conflict; and civil-military interaction. Includes blocks on the military profession, officership, and the military justice system. Leadership Lab: Advanced leadership experiences. Pre: 3216. (3H,2L,3C) 4215: I; 4216: profession, officership, and the military justice system..

4964: FIELD STUDY

Pass/Fail only. Variable credit course.

4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY

Variable credit course.

4984: SPECIAL STUDY

Variable credit course.