Georgetown’s Army ROTC Hoya Battalion has been consistently recruiting a high number of cadets, despite a nationwide decline in the number of ROTC recruits over the last three years, according to military officials.

During each of the past two fall semesters, approximately 100 cadets from four area colleges enrolled in the battalion, according to Lieutenant Colonel Allen J. Gill, professor of military science at Georgetown. Eighty-five cadets are currently enrolled in the battalion.

Across the nation, ROTC battalions are experiencing three consecutive years of decline in enrollment. There are 26,566 students currently enrolled in ROTC programs, a 10 percent decline from 29,618 students in the 2003-04 school year and 31,765 in the year prior, according to The Washington Post.

“It is true that . in the D.C. consortium, enrollment is down,” Major Martin Klein, assistant professor of military science, said. “But it’s still higher than prior to 9/11.”

Last year, the Hoya Battalion commissioned, or graduated, 22 officers into the Army. This year the battalion expects to commission 24 officers, and, according to Gill, next year’s projections “go as high as 30 or more.”

Klein referred to Georgetown’s mission statement, which emphasizes service to others, as a possible reason for the battalion’s relatively strong enrollment.

“If you look at the GU charter, we’re a Jesuit institution founded . to teach that service is a very important aspect of one’s life,” Klein said. “People who go here have that kind of background; they want to serve, and the military is one of options they have.”

Klein added that military science classes can be “very good complements” for students studying international relations.

Over half of the battalion consists of Georgetown cadets, with strong participation from students from George Washington, American and Marymount universities.

The academic quality of the cadet pool is believed to be another factor in the success of the battalion, a view shared by the top leadership of the ROTC command.

Major General Alan W. Thrasher, commanding general of the Army’s Cadet Command in Fort Monroe, Va., commended the Hoya Battalion in a letter addressed to University President John J. DeGioia this spring.

“I am pleased to inform you that the Army ROTC unit at GU is recognized as being in the top 15 percent of Cadet Command’s 272 units for 2003-04,” Thrasher wrote. “This accomplishment demonstrates . the hard work and competence of GU cadets.”

Klein said the average grade point average of a Hoya cadet is 3.3. “We place a lot of emphasis on academics, and it’s very competitive,” he added.

Among Georgetown cadets, the perceived quality of the faculty is what keeps students involved, according to former cadet Caleb Muhs (MSB ’07).

“Yeah, to be honest, there are a lot of good people in the program,” he said. “The teachers, the cadre, they’re top notch, and I think that’s why Georgetown is doing really well. Also, a lot of training [exercises] we do are really good, it’s not just reading from the book. . Going out into the field is offered more often here than at other places.”

“Kids are knocking down the door to get into the Hoya Battalion,” Hoya Battalion platoon leader Adam Frost (MSFS ’05) said. He cited the availability of scholarships and the quality of the faculty as major draws for incoming cadets.

“The people we lost throughout the year were as a result of medical problems, or some administrative [issues]. If the word asthma appears anywhere, you can’t join the Army,” Frost added.

Despite a rise in officer commissions, however, overall enrollment in ROTC programs continues to decline each year. The ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are suspected by many officials to discourage potential cadets from joining.

“As the war goes on, we’ll see what happens,” Klein said.