Harvard University is welcoming the Reserve Officer Training Corps program back to campus 41 years after banishing it amid dissent over the Vietnam War.

An official familiar with the arrangement said Thursday the Cambridge, Mass., school's change in policy follows the decision by Congress in December to repeal the military ban on gays serving openly.

Harvard had kept the ban in place following Vietnam because of the policy.

The official says the school will recognize the Naval ROTC on campus as part of an agreement to be signed Friday by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust. The official wasn't allowed to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

Harvard will appoint a director of Naval ROTC at Harvard and resume funding the program.

Harvard cadets will still train at MIT, as they have for years.