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During the summer of 1980, The United States Air Force ROTC program expressed to the Administration, an interest in placing an operating unit at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. They believed that UNC Charlotte enrolled the kind of student who would find the program/career opportunities offered by the Air Force ROTC attractive. On September 16, 1980, a Corps representative made a presentation to the Faculty Academic Policy & Standards Committee and submitted an official request for a four-year extension program on September 23, 1980. From October 22-October 23, 1980, open forums were held among the University faculty to discuss whether or not the request should be approved. Although some faculty members expressed a concern that a military presence on campus would be obtrusive to the liberal arts atmosphere, there overall opinion was that UNC Charlotte was becoming more career oriented, thus, tentative approval for the Air Force ROTC Program was granted on December 18, 1980. A permanent contract between UNC Charlotte and Air Force ROTC Detachment 592 was signed on June 18, 1990. Due to the success of its endeavors, the Air Force ROTC program has since been escalated to a full scale University department.