Faust Signs Agreement to Recognize Air Force ROTC

University President Drew G. Faust signed an agreement Friday with Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James to formally recognize the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Harvard, ending a decades long separation between the two institutions born from Vietnam War-era protest.

In a Loeb House ceremony replete with a rendition of the national anthem and an Air Force color guard, Faust completed Harvard’s symbolic reconciliation with ROTC; Harvard welcomed Navy ROTC back to campus in 2011, and Army ROTC in 2012. Once a major presence on campus, the ROTC programs from each of the branches left Harvard after widespread student protest in the late 1960s.

“Today we complete our effort to bring the full complement of ROTC programs back to our campus through the full and formal recognition of the Air Force Reserve Officer’s Training Corps,” Faust said.

Two Harvard students in the Air Force ROTC program, Kira R. Headrick '17 and Zander E. Farrow '16, were recognized by the Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James in her speech. By Helen Y. Wu

While much of Air Force ROTC’s training and programming will likely continue to take place at MIT, some activities may now take place on Harvard’s campus, according to cadets in the program. Recognition may also help grow Air Force ROTC, which, with four Harvard students, is the smallest of Harvard’s ROTC programs.

Zander E. Farrow ’16, an Air Force ROTC cadet, said after the ceremony that recognizing the program amounts to honoring the dedication of the individual cadets who participate.

“It’s formally recognizing the hard work and the training we’ve put into the program and also our dedication to serve six years in the military afterwards—at least that’s six years for me,” Farrow said. In her remarks, Faust traced the history of ROTC at Harvard and thanked the cadets for their service.

Celebration after Signing - Attendees of the signing ceremony celebrate the renewal of relations between Harvard and the Air Force ROTC.

University President Drew G. Faust and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James - University President Drew G. Faust and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James applaud each other before the signing of the agreement through which Harvard officially recognized the Air Force ROTC program.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James - Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James speaks about the Air Force during the signing ceremony in Loeb House on Friday morning.

President Drew G. Faust at ROTC Airforce Signing Ceremony - Faust speaks before signing to officially recognize the Air Force ROTC program.

Harvard ROTC Students Recognized by Air Force Secretary - Two Harvard students in the Air Force ROTC program, Kira R. Headrick '17 and Zander E. Farrow '16, were recognized by the Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James in her speech.

Gathering for the Signing - Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, Harvard administrators, including Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana, and other members of the Air Force and the Air Force ROTC program gathered in Loeb House on Friday morning for the signing ceremony.

Dean Rakesh Khurana at Air Force ROTC Signing - Dean of the College, Rakesh Khurana, speaks before the signing of an agreement through which Harvard officially recognized the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program.

University President Drew G. Faust at Air Force ROTC Signing - University President Drew G. Faust delivers a speech before signing an agreement for Harvard to officially recognize the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.

“We honor today the courage, devotion, and skill of women and men who continue to regard military service as public service and whose numbers I hope increase in the years ahead,” Faust said.

James discussed the mission of the Air Force and the important role students will play in the military.

“Leveraging the best talent that America has to offer is, is the secret weapon of the United States,” James said. “It’s even more important than that training and that technology and those concepts of operations.”

Students in each of Harvard’s ROTC programs were joined by University and military leaders at the event.