Flourishing Academies

In a time of shrinking enrollment, half-filled classrooms and budget crises at many colleges and universities, the nation's three largest service academies--West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy--are not only surviving but flourishing. This year's combined freshman classes of all three academies are the largest in their history, and applications to West Point numbered a record 11,000--or 10% higher than in 1973.

Last week, with classes already in session at the Air Force Academy and summer military training coming to an end at Annapolis and West Point, academy officials were elated--but not surprised--by the growing popularity of their institutions. They admit that economics play an important role. Tuition costs are rising rapidly at both private and public schools, but the academies still offer a free education. Also, the academy graduate, unlike his civilian counterpart, is guaranteed a job; the services can take all the ensigns and second lieutenants the academies can provide. Then, too, the antimilitary sentiment of the Viet Nam War years is fast fading among the nation's youth. Besides, the academies offer a first-rate and increasingly broad education.

"Even during the turmoil on the college campuses, some of them came here because they wanted an education," says Navy Captain Ronald A. Campbell, who is in charge of recruiting and counseling potential midshipmen. As an added attraction, Annapolis offers a majors program in which midshipmen can earn bachelor's degrees in nonnaval fields as well as traditional areas such as electrical and mechanical engineering, naval architecture and ocean engineering. West Point, which sends more than 70% of its graduates on to complete graduate school, does not offer a majors program, but it has liberalized its electives. Cadets in the social-studies department, for example, can take political philosophy, microeconomics and political and cultural anthropology. During the summer, as part of their military training, midshipmen ship out on nuclear submarines and cadets can earn helicopter-pilot or paratroop wings or take ranger or arctic training. Officials say that this "adventure training" is not the least of the charms of the service academies.

One of the traditional, and highly criticized, aspects of academy life--hazing--has been sharply curtailed. "We've tried to get the Mickey Mouse, the stupid things out of the system," says Vice Admiral William P. Mack, superintendent of Annapolis. At the Air Force Academy, shouting at freshmen is no longer de rigueur.

Until recently, the military draft also made the service academies an attractive alternative. But the new freshmen, unpressured by the draft, are in the words of Admiral Mack, "all here because they wanted to come here from the start."

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