They celebrated with cake, balloons and Kool and the Gang's “Celebration” playing in a conference room.
And it was OK that some members of Grand Canyon University’s ROTC program ate in an office that now serves as a cadet lounge in the Kaibab building.
“It’s just amazing to see the growth from the partnership between GCU and the ROTC program,” GCU ROTC Coordinator Trish Shipley said recently as the program celebrated exceeding the 100-member mark for the first time.
“We’ve kind of outgrown our spaces around here, which is really just a beautiful thing.”
The balloons that spelled out 140 behind the cake reflected the numbers in the program – 102 in the Army program and 38 in the Air Force.
That’s a significant climb from the semester before Shipley arrived in 2019, when the Army program touted 65 cadets. The Air Force program also received a significant spike this fall, thanks to a freshman class of 20.
“We have students and staff that talk about the program positively,” Shipley said. “Just seeing the numbers with the students in the Army program alone, they rank in the top 2 to 3% every year. We know that we're bringing great students into GCU, but we're also producing a great officer at the end of the day.”
Cadet Ethan Doest, a sophomore team leader, credits the bond of the upperclassmen with boosting the program’s popularity among underclassmen.
“One thing I made sure to tell them is, with our program, if you're struggling in a class, someone most likely has the same major and has already taken that class,” said Doest, who learned about GCU’s ROTC program from older brother Jacob, a battalion commander. “There’s so many different connections that you can kind of just build within the program.
“It's kind of like having 100 brothers and sisters, especially with it being GCU, and everyone is pretty much a Christian. Everyone cares about each other being connected.”
Doest said he was prepared to enlist in the Navy until he learned GCU provided various ROTC scholarships, depending on their commitment.
Fellow sophomore Shayne Hinson also considered enlisting in the military following high school until an assistant principal in Whitman, Arizona, suggested he consider enrolling in an Army ROTC program.
Hinson attended GCU’s Army ROTC Day during his discover trip and decided to enroll after speaking to cadets and recruiters.
“I feel (the ROTC program) is beneficial because it sets a sort of discipline in you, but it also enables you to teach and help those that are in the lower grades that might be struggling or get help if you’re struggling.
“And making sure people are at the right place, the right time, right uniform (displays) a sense of leadership and discipline. If you have a good enough discipline, it kind of helps you in multiple aspects of life because, instead of getting distracted easily or goofing off a lot more, you're a lot more dedicated to things you say you're going do because now you've said you're going to do it. You feel like you have the obligation to follow through.”
GCU News Senior Writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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