Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, Pa., will open its doors to women for the first time in fall 2006, becoming the last all-male military academy to do so.
Many in the MSU community say the move is evidence of the increasing roles women are being offered in society.
History Professor Lisa Fine said women have proven to be capable of military service, and their acceptance at Valley Forge reflects this.
"In the aftermath of the Gulf War and the most recent Iraq war, women have performed well and provided crucial contributions," Fine said. "Until this sort of thing starts happening, there is no way women can prove they can meet the challenge. This is an important step."
Women comprise 15 percent of the 116 cadets in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps, or ROTC, program at MSU, said Lt. Colonel Thomas Defilippo, chairman for the Department of Military Science.
"Women in the Army is positive for sure," Defilippo said. "There is a lot of great people from all backgrounds — men and women — who want to serve their country. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. To me, a leader is a leader."
Students in the MSU Army ROTC were not permitted to comment for this story.
Cmdr. Rod Hill, spokesman for Valley Forge, said women have been interested in attending the academy, but now is the time to admit them.
"In the last year or so, we've had more and more inquiries from women," Hill said. "That was a factor we considered in making the decision to be coeducational in the college. Obviously, we are the last. It's the right thing to do."
Valley Forge, which opened in 1935, is a full-time boarding school. Currently, there are 515 cadets enrolled in the three programs — middle school, high school and two-year transfer college — offered at the academy.
After completion of the college program and attaining the rank of officer, several cadets transfer to either traditional four-year universities or other military academies.
Students enrolled in the MSU Army ROTC program participate in military activities while obtaining other degrees. Upon graduation and completion of the ROTC program, students become a second lieutenant in the Army.
Valley Forge has begun accepting applications for the 2006 school year as well as preparing accommodations for women, Hill said.
He said they have been working with other academies who have made the transition in the past, such as The Citadel — the military college of South Carolina — and the Virginia Military Institute.
"One thing we've been told is that not to make it a big deal. If you make it a big deal it will be one," he said. "We want to make sure we do this correctly and successfully."
Fine said the adversity women have faced at military academies in the past should not deter institutions from accepting women.
"There are military services that still have problems, but I don't think it's a good reason not to accept women," she said. "This is a self-selecting group of women probably well aware of the challenges that will face them. It's not their fault — these things need to be fixed and monitored."
Defilippo said the MSU Army ROTC program has accepted women since the national program became open to women in 1973.
"I have never known any differently and neither do the cadets here," he said. "The integration is always something that is just there. Some of our best students are women."
Fine said the women in the military prove everyone can express their civic duty in many ways.
"While there are many types of jobs, there has to be ways in which women can serve their nation," she said. "This is a crucial issue of equity. This would seem unfair to deprive them of that."
