Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) hosted a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Leadership Summit on the Morehouse College campus June 5-6.

Rear Adm. Stephen C. Evans was joined by military and academic decision-makers from the 17 HBCUs where there is a NROTC presence.

"Our goal was to reinforce existing relationships, establish a network of university and Navy leaders who are committed to the success of our HBCU midshipmen, and share best practices to increase retention of HBCU midshipmen," said Evans.

This was the first time since 2006 that senior HBCU leaders gathered with NROTC program representatives to discuss and build upon their strong partnership.

"The conference was a good way to invest in our relationships with the schools and demonstrate our commitment to the students in the NROTC program and make sure they are successful," said Capt. Baron Reinhold, professor of naval science and commanding officer of the Morehouse College NROTC unit. "It's a win-win for the Navy and Marine Corps when we can lock arms with the school faculty and administration."

NROTC was established at Morehouse College in 1987 after initially affiliating as a cross-town school with Morris Brown College. The Morehouse College unit is part of a consortium with the NROTC unit at Georgia Tech University. An NROTC consortium is formed when two or more host units are located geographically close to one another. NROTC courses and professional instruction will be held on both campuses, however the units may share resources, as the Navy and Marine Corps deem appropriate, in order to maximize available funds and promote program consistency.

The NROTC program currently is available at 166 colleges and universities with 77 host NROTC units and 89 cross-town schools with a majority of the HBCUs falling into that category.

"It was a great two days meeting with all of the leaders and I feel we got a lot accomplished," said Evans. "I really want to capitalize on all of the momentum we created at Morehouse."

NROTC was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, loyalty and Navy core values in order to commission college graduates as naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the naval service and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.

Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) oversees 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's Citizenship Development program. NSTC also includes Recruit Training Command (RTC), the Navy's only boot camp also at Naval Station Great Lakes, the NROTC program at more than 160 colleges and universities, Officer Training Command (OTC) Newport, Rhode Island, and Navy Junior ROTC and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

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