The National Defense Act in 1916 established the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps on college campuses around the country. Soon after the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Stanford’s ROTC cadets gathered in the Inner Quad. The university’s enrollment plummeted 28 percent in 1917-18 when hundreds of male students, including most of those in the senior class, enlisted. The first Stanford-related WWI veterans to die in action were honored on campus plaques.
Photo: University Archives
Trending Stories
-
View Finder
Arts/Media
-
The Mystery of the MingKwai
AAPI (Asian/Pacific Islander)
-
The Playmaker
Athletics
- Obituaries - Winter 2026
-
Power Transfer
Health/Wellness
