Air Force ROTC detachment boasts high GPA

Incoming Air Force ROTC cadets in west-central Indiana have some lofty standards to uphold.

Last year, the Terre Haute detachment posted the highest cumulative grade point average in an 18-state region, and the second highest in the nation, for the fall 2013 semester and slipped only to third and eighth place, respectively, for spring.

Cadets from Indiana State and DePauw universities and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.348 for the spring semester on a 4.0 scale. The program\'s northwest region includes 34 detachments and there are 145 detachments nationwide.

Lt. Col. Mark Adkins, commander of detachment 218, has a simple explanation for his cadets outperforming so many of their peers.

\"We hold them accountable. They understand the standard is high, the program is competitive and not everyone who shows up at our door gets to be an Air Force officer,\" he said. \"The bar is set high and I think we\'ve changed the mindset in the detachment to let them know that if they want to compete, they\'ve got to make the grade.\"

Capt. Troy Jeffers, operations flight commander for the detachment, says the competitive nature of Air Force ROTC \"naturally draws someone who is more motivated, more dedicated and more forward thinking.\"

ROTC leaders in the detachment regular monitor cadets\' academic performance to ensure they stay on track and work to recruit talented students from Wabash Valley high schools and Ivy Tech Community College, Jeffers added.

About 75 percent of cadets in the detachment are Indiana State students, with the remainder from DePauw and Rose-Hulman, Adkins said.

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Other/Media-Services/Media-Technology/ROTC-group-test-and-drills/i-zm8hjRf/0/L/04_01_14_ROTC_group-6453-L.jpg - Cadets in Air Force ROTC Detachment 218, seen here taking a test April1, 2014 in Indiana State University\'s John T. Myers Technology Center, posted the third highest grade point average in their 18-state region last spring and ranked No. 8 in the country. (ISU/Tony Campbell)

Contact:, Capt. Troy Jeffers, operations flight commander, Air Force ROTC Detachment 218, 812-237-2657 or troy.jeffers@indstate.edu

Writer: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu