STARKVILLE – Mississippi State University joined a new tier of military-affiliated colleges Wednesday after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated it a “Distinguished Military College” while announcing plans for the new America’s Corps of Cadets program.

With the designation, MSU, and the other four universities designated Wednesday, will earn “Honor School” status, which grants priority in future officer commissions.

“What that does for our (Reserve Officer Training Corps) personnel, it will fast-track their commissioning. They will actually be able to step to the head of the line,” Sid Salter, vice president for strategic communications and director of public affairs at MSU, told The Dispatch on Thursday. “We think that is going to be a real boost in terms of enrollment. There is a percentage of students who look very closely at the ROTC program and the commissioning opportunities that go with it. So, obviously, that will, we think, be a real positive for the university.”

Hegseth announced the program and five other strategic initiatives Wednesday during a speech to active-duty tactical-level and noncommissioned officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The designation creates a tier below the nation’s six Senior Military Colleges – Texas A&M University, Norwich University, the Virginia Military Institute, The Citadel, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and North Georgia College and State University – where the existing Corps of Cadets program is housed.

“By embedding continuous military discipline and leadership development into these new partner schools, America’s Corps of Cadets aims to grow the number of officers who are patriotic, rigorous and prepared to lead and defend the Republic,” a Defense Department press release reads.

America’s Corps of Cadets expands that program to include MSU, Louisiana State University, Liberty University, Tuskegee University and Hillsdale College. To be designated a “Distinguished Military College,” the press release said the institutions demonstrate exceptionally high standards of cadet discipline, tactical instruction and military organization.

Hegseth described the distinction as a “stepping stone” toward Senior Military College status, which MSU and the other four schools can pursue if they choose.

“Our university is deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve our country in a way that is part of our institutional DNA,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said in a press release issued Wednesday. “We were established as a land-grant university and a military school. We have robust U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force (ROTC) components – and we have one of the nation’s premier Centers for American Veterans.”

While Hegseth didn’t detail specifics for how America’s Corps of Cadets will function at MSU and the other four campuses, a memo issued by the Defense Department following his speech said his office will begin implementation within 30 days. Then within 120 days, the under secretary of war for personnel and readiness will transition to become the office responsible for the program

“We must be postured to meet the demands of a complex, modern battlefield and beyond by ensuring we have produced leaders prepared for every challenge,” the memo reads. “Growing America’s Corps of Cadets puts our Nation on a path to achieve it.”

McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.