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The Chronicle of Higer Education has an excellent op-ed out entitled the “ROTC and the Future of Higher Education.” University of Wisconsin Professor Donald A. Downs argues that ROTC injects a much-needed diversity of worldview into the university environment. The military mentality, he argues, is drastically different than the university mentality and therefore should be viewed as a valuable addition to the college atmosphere. He makes three excellent points:
**A gulf between the military and the university is not healthy for American democracy. . . ** Public awareness of national-security matters allows for a more effective partnership between the military and society. A public ignorant of the proper role of the military can lead to three major problems: (i) uncritical support for military actions . . . (ii) endorsement of an opposite, antimilitary ideology that perceives the armed forces as evil or as the “other” . . . or (iii) a simple lack of knowledge regarding the military and strategic-security matters.
