Program effectively ending in September
Little notice leaves university scrambling
The U.S. Army will no longer operate their Reserve Office Training Corps program at Buena Vista University starting this fall.
In a letter obtained by the Storm Lake Times Pilot that was sent to Buena Vista University President Brian Lenzmeier on June 26, signed by Commanding Brigadier General Maurice Barnett, stated the change was a part of the Army’s larger decision to “reorganize” the program.
“This action is part of the broad Army Transformation Initiative to improve Army readiness, prioritize fighting formations and align resources with strategic objectives,” the letter reads. “This decision is necessary to optimize our ROTC civilian workforce while ensuring the ROTC program continues to meet the Army’s needs for new officers.”
According to a formal release from the Army, changes will not go into effect until the 2026-27 school year. However, in his letter, Brig. Gen. Barnett stated all Army ROTC classes and related instruction at BVU will cease as of the Spring 2026 semester – though civilian personnel assigned to the campus will complete their service on Sept. 30.
Without proper staffing, the program will effectively end with the completion of service by said civilian personnel.
“This is a carefully considered approach aligned with Department of Defense guidance and Army priorities,” the letter states. “U.S. Army Cadet Command used several factors to inform the decision including high school graduation and college enrollment trends, commissions over the past five years and proximity to other programs.”
The Times Pilot was unable to verify exact reasons for the termination of the program at BVU.
Megan Ogren, senior director of marketing and communications for the university told the Times Pilot Wednesday that the notice came suddenly.
“Buena Vista University is disappointed by the decision of U.S. Army Cadet Command to close our ROTC program after 15 productive years,” Ogren said. “We were not given advanced notice, which has created challenges, particularly for our students.”
BVU has operated as an ROTC “extension unit”, meaning they are linking with a “host institution” but located on a separate campus. Cadets enrolled in ROTC courses complete them on their own campus with access to full-time cadre assigned to the institution.
After receiving the notice last week, Ogren explained that the university began scrambling to help all impacted students before the fall term starts on Aug. 25.
“This situation is particularly challenging for incoming students, who were informed less than 60 days before the fall semester that they could not begin ROTC at BVU,” she explained. “We are working individually with every impacted student to ensure they can achieve their academic and military aspirations, whether at BVU, or elsewhere.”
It is unclear how many BVU students will be impacted by the decision.
ROTC program reorganizing, restructuring
BVU is not the only Iowa university impacted by the shift.
University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls will also be inactivated as “host unit” for ROTC programming.
Military publication, Military.com, reported that ROTC programs at 84 colleges nationwide will be nixed leaving an estimated 291 students in limbo.
At least 16 Cadets who have already entered into a contract with the service will be left with very few options.
Affected students will have the option to transfer to another ROTC program or exit their service contracts without facing penalty.
The changes come after speculation of cuts to the ROTC’s budget throughout the remainder of the decade.
In September, Military.com also reported that the Army was looking at cutting nearly $100 million in ROTC scholarships as an attempt to “correct an oversaturation of officers in the force.”
It is suggested that, between 2026 and 2029, Army planners may pursue a cut to the ROTC’s annual budget of $315 million by upwards of $30 million.
Though the decision has not been made final and would still need to be brought before Congress, it could lead to the overall decrease of between 2,500 and 4,000 commissioners in the span of the four years.
If approved, the cuts would not impact the military’s other ROTC programs nor the status or scholarships of actively enrolled cadets. The cuts will only impact the total number of new cadets that can be recruited.
