The V-12 Navy College Training Program supplemented the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1 1943 and June 30 1946, over 125,000 men enrolled in the V-12 program in 131 colleges and universities in the United States. V-12 participants enrolled in the program required 17 credit hours and 9.5 hours of physical training each week. Study was year-round, and the number of terms for a trainee depended on his previous college background, if any, and his course of study. From the V-12 program, most of the Navy candidates went on to a four-month course at a reserve midshipmen's school, and the Marine candidates went to boot camp and then to the 12-week Officer Candidate Course at Quantico, Virginia. The curriculum was heavy on math and science for "regulars" (those entering college for the first time). Those students who already had some college credit, or "irregulars," continued in their majors with the addition of courses in mathematics and science.

In June 1944, the program experienced reductions in manpower from 355 to 200 seamen; in December 1944, the numbers fell to 112 men. After the end of the war, the Navy Department announced closure of the campus training program, as part of sixty-nine programs to be discontinued nationwide by November 1st. The college held closing ceremonies, including a dance, on October 16, 1945, concluding with a formal review held the following day, the lowering of the colors and presentation of the flag to Dr. Parker. This unit had 810 trainees.