University announces March to 3,000

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6:31p, 4/28/22
University announces March to 3,000 - The Battalion

Corps trying to recruit 3k students into the program.

That's nearly 1000 more than were in the Corps during Fall '21 (2,143). This is coming after several outfits were shut down. Thoughts?
some of yall need to take a break from texags before the internet brain worms set in for good
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Green2Maroon
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In reply to dead • 10:01p, 4/28/22
AG
I was never in the Corps but went to A&M as a veteran. I'm not sure what they're trying to accomplish by increasing the number all the way to 3k students. The military does not have a sudden need for a lot more officers and most kids coming out of HS want a regular college experience.
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92AG10
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In reply to Green2Maroon • 10:58a, 4/29/22
AG
Green2Maroon said:
I was never in the Corps but went to A&M as a veteran. I'm not sure what they're trying to accomplish by increasing the number all the way to 3k students. The military does not have a sudden need for a lot more officers and most kids coming out of HS want a regular college experience.
Maybe because the Corps has always been focused on more than just producing military officers? This misperception has been glaringly in error for a long time.
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Green2Maroon
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In reply to 92AG10 • 12:45p, 4/29/22
AG
92AG10 said:
Green2Maroon said:
I was never in the Corps but went to A&M as a veteran. I'm not sure what they're trying to accomplish by increasing the number all the way to 3k students. The military does not have a sudden need for a lot more officers and most kids coming out of HS want a regular college experience.
Maybe because the Corps has always been focused on more than just producing military officers? This misperception has been glaringly in error for a long time.

Fair point. I know one guy who I went to high school with who did this. He was in the Corps for 4 years and did not seek a commission. The experience helped him out a lot with confidence and maturity and he seemed to really enjoy it too.
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Rabid Cougar
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1:29p, 4/29/22
AG
Initially was in the Corps in pursuit of a Marine commission but a Navy Doc squashed that idea.
I stayed in the remaining 3 years and enjoyed every minute of it. My buddies are still my brothers after 35 years and the experiences have done nothing but made me a better person, employee and leader.

I recommend joining the Corps to every perspective Ag I talk to. Not that all of them are cut out for it but you never know.
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HollywoodBQ
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In reply to Green2Maroon • 2:22a, 4/30/22
AG
Green2Maroon said:
most kids coming out of HS want a regular college experience.
Some kids realize that a "regular" college experience of joining a frat, smoking the herb, sleeping 'til noon is not going to help them in the long run. Unless they marry well or have inheritance coming like my best t-sipper friend.

On the other side of the coin, learning that you need to wake up, get dressed and go to work everyday is something that will pay off for the rest of your life.

And of course the camaraderie, etc. is nice to have. Compare and contrast with many non-regs I know. They might finish college with a handful of close friends. Even though I didn't choose them, my fish buddies will always be there, like it or not.

Much to my disappointment, my daughter didn't take a commission at VMI but her participation in their Corps of Cadets has made a world of difference in her outlook on life.

Conversely, I've got two brothers who quit the Corps at A&M during FOW. One of them is in his 40s and still lives with my parents, the other is in a dead end job and counting the minutes until retirement. Age + Tenure = 80 years, is a lot of years to not have the skills or confidence to take charge of your own life.

Growing the size of the A&M Corps should be a good thing. How to sell that to the Zoomers though... good question.
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Green2Maroon
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In reply to HollywoodBQ • 12:19p, 4/30/22
AG
HollywoodBQ said:
Green2Maroon said:
most kids coming out of HS want a regular college experience.
Some kids realize that a "regular" college experience of joining a frat, smoking the herb, sleeping 'til noon is not going to help them in the long run. Unless they marry well or have inheritance coming like my best t-sipper friend.

On the other side of the coin, learning that you need to wake up, get dressed and go to work everyday is something that will pay off for the rest of your life.

And of course the camaraderie, etc. is nice to have. Compare and contrast with many non-regs I know. They might finish college with a handful of close friends. Even though I didn't choose them, my fish buddies will always be there, like it or not.

Much to my disappointment, my daughter didn't take a commission at VMI but her participation in their Corps of Cadets has made a world of difference in her outlook on life.

Conversely, I've got two brothers who quit the Corps at A&M during FOW. One of them is in his 40s and still lives with my parents, the other is in a dead end job and counting the minutes until retirement. Age + Tenure = 80 years, is a lot of years to not have the skills or confidence to take charge of your own life.

Growing the size of the A&M Corps should be a good thing. How to sell that to the Zoomers though... good question.
The Army certainly did a lot for me in those areas. I went from being a scared 18 year old with no sense of direction and not much of an identity to an Iraq veteran E-5 when I was still 21 years old. There is a lot of sense in being able to get much of the same kind of development without putting your life on the line or committing 3-4 years of it to active duty.
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ABATTBQ87
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In reply to dead • 12:25p, 4/30/22
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icrymyselftosleep said:
University announces March to 3,000 - The Battalion

Corps trying to recruit 3k students into the program.

That's nearly 1000 more than were in the Corps during Fall '21 (2,143). This is coming after several outfits were shut down. Thoughts?


The Corps wont grow unless 2 more Corps dorms are built, as current quad housing = 2600 beds.
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92AG10
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In reply to ABATTBQ87 • 12:31p, 4/30/22
AG
ABATTBQ87 said:
icrymyselftosleep said:
University announces March to 3,000 - The Battalion

Corps trying to recruit 3k students into the program.

That's nearly 1000 more than were in the Corps during Fall '21 (2,143). This is coming after several outfits were shut down. Thoughts?


The Corps wont grow unless 2 more Corps dorms are built, as current quad housing = 2600 beds.
Already in the works
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CanyonAg77
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In reply to ABATTBQ87 • 12:32p, 4/30/22
AG
ABATTBQ87 said:
icrymyselftosleep said:
University announces March to 3,000 - The Battalion

Corps trying to recruit 3k students into the program.

That's nearly 1000 more than were in the Corps during Fall '21 (2,143). This is coming after several outfits were shut down. Thoughts?


The Corps wont grow unless 2 more Corps dorms are built, as current quad housing = 2600 beds.
If they fill the current quad, finding more housing will be a good problem to have.
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CanyonAg77
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In reply to dead • 12:36p, 4/30/22
AG
icrymyselftosleep said:
University announces March to 3,000 - The Battalion

Corps trying to recruit 3k students into the program.

That's nearly 1000 more than were in the Corps during Fall '21 (2,143). This is coming after several outfits were shut down. Thoughts?

I was part of a Corps of around 2,000, when the university enrollment was 18,000. So Corps was about 11% of the campus.

Current enrollment is over 73,000, so Corps is about 3% of the campus. Surely another 1% of the students can be recruited.
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ABATTBQ87
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In reply to CanyonAg77 • 12:39p, 4/30/22
AG
CanyonAg77 said:
ABATTBQ87 said:
icrymyselftosleep said:
University announces March to 3,000 - The Battalion

Corps trying to recruit 3k students into the program.

That's nearly 1000 more than were in the Corps during Fall '21 (2,143). This is coming after several outfits were shut down. Thoughts?


The Corps wont grow unless 2 more Corps dorms are built, as current quad housing = 2600 beds.
If they fill the current quad, finding more housing will be a good problem to have.


If they couldn't fill the quad in 20 years what makes you think they'll miraculously fill it now?

35 years ago when I marched in my last Final Review the Corps made up 6% of the student body.

Today the Corps makes up 3.5% of the student body.

Over the last 10 years there was an intense recruiting campaign and only once in that time frame did the Corps exceed 2500.
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92AG10
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In reply to ABATTBQ87 • 2:46p, 4/30/22
AG
ABATTBQ87 said:
Over the last 10 years there was an intense recruiting campaign and only once in that time frame did the Corps exceed 2500.


This isn't correct. The Corps was already tracking toward 3000 as the University growth really starting ramping up this past decade. The Corps had been sitting at or above 2500 for several years before COVID hit during the 2019-20 school year.

This really isn't a "new" vision of 3k, it's a return to the original pre-2020 goal.

Also, the undergrad enrollment for main campus Spring 2022 is actually just under 50k which means a Corps of 2100 cadets is actually ~4.2% of the student body. In comparison, 1988 enrollment broke 39k and a Corps of 1700 would only be ~4.3%.
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AgSpirit581
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In reply to 92AG10 • 5:20p, 5/1/22
AG
What's the plan?
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Velvet Jones
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6:14p, 5/1/22
AG
Part of the plan involves OOS recruiting.

The Corps has been a leading source of out of sate undergraduate students (my fish class of 30 had folks from 7 different sates and 3 countries) for decades. Unfortunately previous administrators implemented policies that made Texas A&M and the Corps less desirable, so those kids went to The Citadel, VMI, VT, or regular ROTC at universities that value OOS students.

I believe (and I'm happy to be corrected) that the new plan is to increase the number and dollar amount of scholarships for members of the Corps.

Here's a recent announcement of the Maj. Gen. Raymond L. Murray '35 scholarship program. There are others with more coming soon.
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Animal Eight 84
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In reply to Green2Maroon • 10:17p, 5/6/22
AG
Green2Maroon said:
I was never in the Corps but went to A&M as a veteran. I'm not sure what they're trying to accomplish by increasing the number all the way to 3k students. The military does not have a sudden need for a lot more officers and most kids coming out of HS want a regular college experience.




You had the benefit of prior service to "grow up" prior to going to college.

Most young adults will benefit from the discipline the Corp imposes while in college and away from home for the first time.

I foolishly signed up for 19 pre-Engineereing hours my first semester and didn't have the maturity & academic discipline.
As a result of my poor grades I was confined to quarters and lost weekend Liberty just about every weekend my freshman year.
If I would have been a non-reg, I wouldn't have made it.

I think back to the ticked off upperclassman that had to give up their weekends and check in on us probationary students every couple of hours to make sure we were truly at our desks studying all day long.

LOL, I attended church almost every Sunday because policy allowed attending worship services when restricted to quarters. It was my chance to escape for 2 hours.


The Corp is a Leadership Laboratory where decisions have to be made - yet the mistakes don't get anyone killed.

FWIW-4 years in the Corps did more for me in my professional career as a manager & executive than any TAMU class I took.
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74OA
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3:26p, 5/8/22
AG
Out of my squadron graduating class of 17, only 6 went into the military.

The Corps' mission is much broader than just ROTC, as the University itself points out:

"Cadets in the Corps live a disciplined lifestyle while gaining practical experience in leadership and organizational management. Participation in the Corps of Cadets helps prepare cadets for the global leadership challenges of the 21st century. The Corps of Cadets has many programs that are specifically designed to prepare cadets for leadership roles in the U.S. military, corporate America, government service, and the private sector."

WRT Corps size, here's the Commandant's 20-21 "State of the Corps" report. The "Corps Strength" section makes clear that covid forced the suspension of key recruiting programs that had previously helped grow the Corps.
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Eliminatus
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10:13p, 5/8/22
AG
Additional dorms aren't even expected to be done till 2028.

Is this just not normal growth overall? The school itself is bursting at the seams and a new record is set every single consecutive fall when it comes to full campus enrollment. 3K Corps members will probably still maintain the same percentage of student body I imagine.

I am not reading this as an artificial short term boost in numbers but just projections of where it should be in the years to come. Am i misreading that?
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