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The Solomon Amendment

    Columbia University has a long history of engagement with the nation’s armed services.  A statue of Colonel Alexander Hamilton, a student in its predecessor institution, Kings College, stands outside the building named in his honor.  A plaque on its wall honors John Mitchell, a student who died as a combat pilot in World War I.  At the university’s heart, Butler Library a tribute to all Columbia students who died in the nation’s military service is prominent in its entrance.  On the library’s walls, a plaque recalls the 23,000 Navy midshipmen who trained at Columbia and served in World War II – at one point, more per year than the Naval Academy.  A university website -- http://www.warmemorial.columbia.edu -- records Columbia students who gave their lives in military service beginning with the American Revolution.  A helmeted bust of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of war, wisdom, and civilization -- a patron Columbia shares with West Point-- stands prominently in the foyer of Low Memorial Library.

    A Naval ROTC program was part of Columbia’s history, as was an Air Force program, until tensions during the Vietnam War led to the university effectively barring it.  A generation later, Columbia and the Navy joined in 2011 to renew that tradition, restoring the university’s NROTC program in partnership with that in the State University of New York’s Maritime College. Columbia students continue to participate in Army and Air Force ROTC programs in New York City.  We confidently look forward to a growing, mutually beneficial bond between Columbia and the armed services as the university, the military services and the nation enter new phases of their histories.

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