ROTC Advocacy at Columbia

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2002-2005 Effort led by Advocates for Columbia ROTC

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The Solomon Amendment

    Columbia University has a long and storied history of partnership with and support for the armed forces. Reminders amid Columbia's hallowed halls speak silently of a proud tradition of military service. The helmeted bust of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of war, a patron Columbia shares with West Point, stands prominently in the foyer of Low Memorial Library. Colonel Alexander Hamilton's statue stands guard in front of Hamilton Hall. The portrait of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, graduate and former university president, looks down the main stairwell in Butler Library. Outside Butler Library, a plaque commemorates the 23,000 Navy midshipmen who trained at Columbia and served in World War II. A memorial to Columbia graduate John Mitchell, a combat pilot who died in World War I, rests on the outside wall of Hamilton Hall.

    Prior to the Vietnam War, Columbia cadets had peacefully coexisted with their classmates since the inception of ROTC in 1916. Columbia’s dedication to service was profound—at one point in its history the university was producing more officers per year than even the U.S. Naval Academy. In spite of Columbia's military tradition, the administration expelled ROTC programs from campus in 1969 to appease student protesters and disgruntled faculty. When the war in Vietnam ended in 1975, students resumed their studies and the protests faded away. Columbia's ban on ROTC, however, has remained to this day.

    The current pro-ROTC effort at Columbia is by Columbia Students for NROTC, as detailed in their Questions and Answers About NROTC.

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