Proposal lengthens academy grads' service/ 8-year tour could deter

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Feb 14, 1999 | by Mary Boyle

WASHINGTON - As the military struggles with a crisis in recruiting and retaining its best and brightest, there is a move in the Capitol that some fear would make service academies less attractive.

U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., wants to increase the length of time academy graduates must serve in exchange for their education. His bill would raise graduates' active duty obligation from a minimum of five years to eight years.

Coble says the extra three years of service are necessary for academy graduates to fully repay their education, which is valued between $215,000 and $270,000.

"While I believe that investing in our military is critical to the future of the stability of our nation, I do not think it is fair to burden the taxpayer with this expense without requiring academy graduates to exhibit a similar commitment," Coble said when introducing the bill last month.

The proposal is based on Coble's belief that - despite evidence to the contrary - student interest in the academies will only rise as public and private college tuition costs continue to grow.

"We need to ensure that a free education does not become a primary motivation for future applicants," he said.

Coble's bill contradicts evidence that students today are less inclined than ever to seek a military education. In fact, the services are struggling with recruiting and retention in the face of strong competition from private employers.

Military leaders have complained that morale is down, wages are insufficient and living conditions are poor in some areas.

"I just don't see as many kids out there willing to consider (a service academy) and put that kind of time commitment into it," said Patricia Jorgensen, a longtime academic counselor at a Centerville, Ohio, public high school. She is also an officer in the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

"The military isn't like it used to be. You don't have war heroes any more. We do these little things in the Middle East ... and I don't think kids are paying much attention."

U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., who nominates 10 students a year each to the Air Force, Naval, U.S. Military and Merchant Marine academies, also detects a lack of interest.

"Right now there's not as much enthusiasm as there was a few years ago," Hefley said. "A career in the military is not being viewed as it once was."

The service academies and the Pentagon declined to comment on Coble's proposal, saying they don't speak to pending legislation.

Hefley said the extra years of obligated service would likely hurt enrollment.

"Eight years is almost halfway to a career," Hefley said. "I think it might discourage some people."

College guidance counselors agreed many students would be less likely to apply if the service requirements were increased. However, they also agreed it would not likely deter the type of highly motivated student whose dream is to attend an academy.

"For a select group of kids, the interest is still high," said Edwin Bean, a college counselor at Auburn High School in suburban Seattle.

"These are kids who have wanted to go to an academy since junior high and a few extra years won't be a deterrent."

General interest has waned already in recent years.

Admission application numbers dropped sharply in the late 1980s and early 1990s, service academy statistics show. In recent years, the number of applicants has stabilized, but at much lower levels than in past decades.

The Air Force, Naval and Military academies remain highly competitive for top prep scholars and athletes - getting nearly 10 applications for every opening. Each academy has about 1,200 openings each year.

But the schools are being forced to work harder to enroll students.

"We've had to develop new strategies and strengthen our marketing," said David Vetter, dean of admissions at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., where applications dropped from 15,000 a year in the late 1980s to about 10,000 for the Class of 2001.

The Air Force Academy saw a similar trend, receiving about 8,500 applications for the Class of 1999, down from about 15,000 applications six years earlier, according to the school.

Applications at the Air Force Academy have held steady at about 9,000 per year since 1994. And admission officials say the numbers are up so far this year.

The same is true at the Naval Academy, with midshipmen applications averaging close to 10,000 a year.

Application numbers at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point remained generally flat during the last decade, averaging about 13,000 applications a year.

Candidates continue to represent the best and brightest. For example, nearly 80 percent of the Naval Academy's Class of 2002 ranked in the top fifth of their senior class in high school.

Academy officials blame the drop in interest on demographics, the military draw-down and cultural influences.

For example, there are fewer military families. Parents of today's cadets and midshipmen aren't as likely as previous generations to have had exposure to the military, Vetter said.

In Colorado Springs, admissions officials blame two factors: One was an act of Congress that reduced the school's student body in the early 1990s from nearly 4,500 students to 4,000, said Rolle Stoneman, the academy's director of selections.