Staff Members Live Week of Army Life

MELBOURNE, FLA.—In late July, Florida Institute of Technology Associate Provost for University Marketing Jennifer Neuhard and Director of Football Operations John Thomas traded meetings and paperwork for camouflage and combat boots when they visited Fort Knox, Ky. There they attended the Leader’s Training Course (LTC), a 45-year-old program aimed at motivating and qualifying college students for entry into the Senior ROTC program. Thomas is also a Melbourne city council member.

Each summer, the LTC hosts a five-day tour for college educators who live like ROTC cadets. Neuhard and Thomas rappelled off a 50-foot tower, crossed a stream on a rope bridge they built and navigated an aerial obstacle course. These are the same confidence-building exercises performed by the cadets at LTC.

The visit gives educators with little or no knowledge of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps a glimpse of what the program is all about.

Throughout the visit, educators had opportunities to talk with cadets. They heard what the students are learning and what motivated them to dedicate four weeks out of their summer to see what ROTC has to offer.
For more information about the Leader’s Training Course, visit www.leaderstrainingcourse.com.