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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: Lt. Col. George Belin, 785-532-6754, gbelin@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

K-STATE'S ARMY ROTC WILDCAT BATTALION REMAINS STRONG, ENROLLMENT UP 20 PERCENT

MANHATTAN -- Feeling welcome can make all the difference in where a student chooses to go to college and how successful they are through the years -- a premise that appears to work for both university and military recruiting.

Lt. Col. George Belin, professor of military science and head of Kansas State University's Army ROTC program, says a change in recruiting strategy over the last couple of years has had better than expected results for K-State's Army ROTC Wildcat Battalion. Fall 2008 enrollment in the program is up to 155 cadets, an increase of 20 percent.

In a time of war -- which is challenging recruiters across the nation -- K-State's program is stronger than ever, Belin said.

"Before they even come to K-State, we give them the personal attention that they need," Belin said. "Once they're here, ROTC becomes more than something they do. They become part of the family."

To start, new recruits are matched with an older, more experienced mentor in the same academic field. That gives new students someone to talk to not only about the expectations of ROTC, but their academic challenges as well.

"Our retention rates are higher than they've ever been and we continue to not only attract quantity, but quality as well," Belin said.

In this year's Army ROTC National Order of Merit List, four K-State cadets ranked in the top 10 percent, something Belin says is a standard hallmark of K-State's ROTC program. K-State also had the highest ranked cadet in the state of Kansas.

Belin said it also helps that the battalion receives strong support from the university's administration and that the university is located next to Fort Riley and in a military-friendly region.

"Our cadets get a true sense of what to expect when they graduate and join the ranks of the U.S. Army," he said.