Despite President Bush's proposed troop surge, officials from Penn State University Park's ROTC program said they're predicting university recruitment rates to stay stable.

Col. Karen Ward, Penn State ROTC recruiter, said the change in strategy in Iraq, which includes a proposed increase of 21,500 troops, is not significant enough to affect recruitment.

According to the Associated Press, there are about 130,000 American soldiers there now.

"[Enrollment's] not going to get any better, and it's not going to get any worse," Ward said.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, caused an increase in ROTC enrollment nationwide, but recruitment rates have since returned to pre-9/11 numbers.

The Penn State Corps of Cadets comprises more than 225 students at the main campus and its commonwealth campuses: Penn State Altoona, Penn State Hazleton and University Park, according to The Pennsylvania State University Army ROTC website.

About 150 of those students are members of the Nittany Lion Battalion at University Park.

For some Penn State ROTC students, the decision to join the military was made long before the current war.

"I've always wanted to be a military officer since I was a little kid," Penn State army ROTC member Jason Hall (senior-political science) said.

Ward did say that ROTC recruitment would probably increase if the war in Iraq ended, especially because parents would be less concerned about their children joining the military and going overseas to Iraq.

"Parents would worry less," Ward said.

"Even though you do support your kids being over there, the worry is no less."

Another reason the surge is unlikely to affect enrollment is because of the time it takes for a student to graduate and complete further military training after graduation.

"Most students coming in are freshmen," said Lieutenant Col. John Kilgallon, the battalion commander and professor of military science in the Army ROTC who earned a Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan.

He estimated that it takes a freshman about five years to progress from enrollment at Penn State to joining an active military unit.

Although events like 9/11 inspired some people to join the military, for others the calling is always there.

"The people who join now are the type of people would join anyway," Ward said. "They want to make a difference in the world."