Norwich University

This article refers to a private military college in Vermont, USA. For the university located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, see University of East Anglia.

Norwich University, the first private military college in the United States, is located in Northfield, Vermont. It was founded in 1819 by Capt. Alden Partridge, a former Acting Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. After resigning from the Army (in 1818), Partridge founded Norwich in order to promote the concept of "citizen-soldiers." His educational theories influenced the establishment of modern Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), which was established in 1916.

Facts

Campus area: 1125 acres (5 km²)
Enrollment: 2099
School type: Private
Year founded: 1819
Other information: Known as the "Birthplace of ROTC" because it was the first private college in the U.S. to offer military instruction.