The Forward March: Corps Advancement Plan

Growth in the coverage and visibility in the Corps’ recruiting efforts was identified early on as an important aspect of the Corps’ overall growth. A major driving force in the new recruiting efforts is the shift from passive to active recruiting methods. This shift is most well defined as the physical, regular presence of the Corps Recruiting team at key events and locations.  

The most immediate and visible initiative accelerant was the hiring of Term Recruiters to the Corps Recruiting team’s staff. These Term Recruiters are recent graduates of Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets, and are embedded in Texas A&M’s Prospective Student Centers (PSCs), which are Texas A&M’s dedicated recruitment centers in key markets across the state of Texas. 

The Corps is also actively building strategic relationships with youth-serving organizations whose members are likely to pursue leadership development opportunities in college. The Corps has increased visibility and established a presence within several key organizations through sponsorships and physical presence engagements at the district, state and national levels. 

The Quad in its present form is not built to accommodate a membership base beyond 2,600. In preparation for the membership growth of the Corps, the construction of two new dorms was approved. The next step in the process is adding the dorms’ development to a specific fiscal year’s plan for the university, which is currently pending. 

As part of the university’s space allocation survey, the Corps is exploring avenues for developing the south end of the Quad. These developments, to include the potential overhaul and update of Duncan Dining Hall, will expand the Corps’ footprint across campus.  Developments both aim to improve the Quad for cadets and seek to create an interconnected space for the center of the Corps’ activities with the rest of Texas A&M’s student body.  

Further information regarding the development of the two new dorms and the south end of the Quad, including funding initiatives, will be released when available.

The Office of the Commandant has worked with Faculty Affairs to identify four Leader Development Advisors (LDAs) to serve as Professors of Practice. 

LDAs will facilitate the integration of leadership theory taught in the classroom with practical application, creating an immersive leadership development experience that touches every aspect of cadet daily life. 

These new members of the Office of the Commandant staff will have extensive experience as leaders in the military or private sector and have an educational background in leadership and organizational development.

In conjunction with the LDAs, four other roles will comprise an informal Cadet Advisory Team. The existing Scholastics Performance Specialists will partner with the re-tooled Military and Operations Advisors (formerly known as Cadet Training Officers) and the newly created Corps Performance Coaches (CPCs) to offer wrap-around support structure for cadets in the Corps. 

The Office of the Commandant has been restructured, to include staff title changes and the introduction of functional embedded units. 

Embedded units focus on strategic support and engagement, operations, cadet life and cadet engagement. An effort to mirror other groups and organizations on campus, these functional groups will ensure that the Office of the Commandant is appropriately and effectively aligned against the university.

An integral piece of the present-day Corps experience, the Hollingsworth Center’s continued growth and development is key to the success of the Corps’ growth initiatives.

Working in conjunction with the Corps’ military based structure, the Hollingsworth Center presently teaches ethical leadership theories and application and provides career and leadership coaching that is fit for every career path and professional endeavor. 

Though the primary population focus of the Hollingsworth Center is Drill & Ceremony (non-commission seeking) cadets, the skills and knowledge that the Hollingsworth Center imparts are applicable to all students in the Corps and at Texas A&M.  

The Office of the Commandant is closely evaluating ways to make joining the Corps a less costly endeavor for its members. 

Present focuses include avenues for funding cadet sports passes and uniforms, both of which are current, additional required costs placed on cadets. Reducing, or eliminating, these costs will minimize the financial burden to cadets, eliminating a barrier that may prevent otherwise interested students’ participation in the organization.

Though specific avenues for funding these expenses have not yet been identified, further information on how individual donors can contribute will be provided as it becomes available.