Thirty-six students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will soon graduate from Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs.

Commissioning signifies the beginning of a student’s active military service. Each student will take an oath of office in his or her respective branch of service in one of three commissioning ceremonies scheduled during the months of May and June, coinciding with the 216th Commencement ceremony hosted by Rensselaer, which will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 21.

From Naval ROTC, 15 Rensselaer students will be commissioned as ensigns and second lieutenants into active duty in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Future career paths for those commissioned include one surface warfare officer, four submarine officers, seven aviation officers, one special warfare officer, and two marine officers. The commissioning ceremony will be held on May 20 at The Hangar at 743. One student from Union College who attended courses through Rensselaer to satisfy requirements will be commissioned on June 11 at Union College.

The Air Force ROTC Detachment 550 at Rensselaer will commission six graduates, including three from Rensselaer, as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force and Space Force. These new officers will begin training to become combat systems officers, communications officers, acquisitions officers, developmental engineers, and nuclear and missile operations officers. The graduates successfully completed four years of officer training concurrent with their collegiate careers. The commissioning ceremony will take place on Friday, May 20 at Thatcher State Park.

In the Army, the Mohawk Battalion operates as the Army’s only commissioning source for colleges and universities throughout the Capital Region. At this year’s commissioning ceremony, 15 graduates were commissioned as second lieutenants. Out of the 15, 13 will go into active duty, and two will go into the National Guard. The commissioning ceremony was held on Saturday, May 14 at Siena College.

Rensselaer students engaged in ROTC programs exemplify the spirit of The New Polytechnic, a model for research and education at Rensselaer that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration to address global challenges. More info about these programs can be found at https://info.rpi.edu/rotc.