Evening star., 1943-02-12
Army TO Begin
School Program
March |
Colleges Will Troin
10000 Soldiers
Yearly Under PIon

pi oSl dIli Will Sldl WAL Cil L. NE
War Department announced to-
day, and said it expected ulti-
mately to give technical training
in the Nations colleges to a
maximum of 10000 soldiers an
nually.
The number that can be given
training II the .943 academic year
was estimated, however, at under
so 900"
By April /, officials explained. the
whole program" will be under way.
though it was pointed out that all
cooperating colleges will not have
been selected officially by that time.
Most of the soldiers who will Ell
ter college March !, it was said, will
be students in some field of en-
gineering. The second largest group
will be in medicine. There also will
be a group in psychology consisting
of men to be trained in classification
work.
For Liaison Officers.
A group of carefully selected spe-
clalists who have had liberal arts
work, international relations and at
least one foreign language will be
trained for work in foreign lands.
They will be developed into skilled
liaiSon officers to function between
local foreign populations and unit
commanders.
The functions and operations OF
the soldiers educational program
were explained by Col. Herman
Beukema, "a fighting engineer" and
former West Point instructor, who
will be in charge. Brig. Gen. Joseph
E. Dalton, assistant chief of staff of
personnel in the Services of Supply.
also discussed the program, which
comes under his division.
Those selected to attend colleges
will be soldiers in uniform" Col.
Beukema said, and distinctly not
students in uniform" as was the
policy of the World War.
No graduate students will be
selected for training, Col. Beukema
said. He emphasized that the scope
is undergraduate only.
He declared that soldiers are not
being sent to college to get degrees,
but the amount of credits they will
receive is left to the determination
of the college faculties.
Despite the fact that an initial
list of 27l colleges and universities
was announced as tentatively Sc
lected, the Army has not vet con-
tracted for the services of a single
institution. 1t is expected that the
initial list of institutions approved
for this phase of Army training will
be announced before the end of the
week.
Will Fill Need for Technicians.
The program is designed to fill the
Army's need Of technicians.
Last May 1t. Gen. Brehon Somer-
veil, chief of the Army's Service of
Supply, estimated the Army lacked
$4,000 skilled technicians. The
Army then consisted of approx
mately 100000 men. The lack of
skills included men of professional
and mechanical types.
1t Is this gap the new training
program is intended to fill, Col. Beu-
kema said. The Nations higher
educational facilities must be used
Tor the purpose, because the Army
not only lacks sufficient facilities
OF its own, but connot in the limited
time provide such training
Col. Beukema sought to dispel the
fears and misgiving on the part of
some educators who visualize mill
tarization Of the colleges and de-
struction of the liberal arts.
The Army has no intention of
taking over" any college, he de-
clared. The Army will start its own
screening" Of soldiers this week,
selecting those who will be trained
Civilian classification experts will
cooperate. This method of screen
ing will be undertaken at the close
Of each 12-week term.
Educators Cooperate Fully.
The two Army officers explained
that the $4,000 men who will enter
educational institutions this year
constitute a very favorable number
in view of the complications en-
countered in getting the program
started. They credited educators
with 100 per cent cooperation.
Gen Dalton said the soldiers
definitely would not become mem
bers of the schools athletic teams.
They will not have time to engage
in big time football or other sports,
he said.
The soldier students will be up at
$50 a m. and in bed at 1890 pm
They Will have "a to 25 hours week
IN classroom and laboratory. in ad-
dltlon to studies assigned to be done
outside the classroom; one hour a
day Of physical training and five
hourS week Of military training.
viii Be Graduated.
In view of the existing military
Setup in colleges and universities
having established ROTC depart
ments, Gen. Dalton said that practl-
cally all such schools will be selected
to take part in the new training
program.
Soldiers taking the courses will be
graded by the institutions in the
same manner as civilian students.
recommendations with respect to
the individual soldiers will be made
See SCHOOLS, Page A-3J