Past Events – Spring 2022
Here were some events we had this semester. This page will be updated as new activities are added.
Signature Lecture
“Lead the Way … Never Give Up”
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ken Keen
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ken Keen
We joined Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ken Keen in O’Donnell Auditorium. He discussed his role leading relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Haiti and reminded us of humanity’s innate resilience as he recounted his journey from EKU grad to the highest echelons of military service. This event was co-sponsored by EKU ROTC, Military and Veterans Affairs, College of Business, Student Alumni Association and the Department of Psychology.
Date: February 25, 2022
Time: 2 PM
Location: Richmond Campus, Whitlock Bldg., O’Donnell Auditorium
Signature Lecture
“By the Numbers: 4 Continents, 3 Careers, 2 Twists of Fate, and 1 EKU Alum on an Uncharted Path”
Dr. Kelly Carter
Dr. Kelly Carter
Dr. Kelly Carter is a Data Scientist with CACI International, where she supports national security sector clients. She is also a retired Army Colonel with over 32-years spent in uniform. We heard the story of an amazing EKU alum with an unparalleled life journey. The Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies was a co-sponsor of this event being led by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Sports Analytics Club and the Statistics Club.
Date: March 24, 2022
Time: 2 PM
Location: Online via Zoom
Student Recognition
Annual Awards Event
Hosted by the Veterans Studies Alliance
Each year, the Veterans Studies Alliance hosts its annual awards event. We celebrate graduating seniors and EKU students who have excelled in the areas of scholarly achievement, leadership and service. This event was co-sponsored by the Kentucky National Guard and the EKU Department of Psychology.
Date: April 19, 2022
Time: 5 PM
Location: Powell 219 and Zoom
Would you like to nominate a student for an award? Any EKU student (not just Veterans Studies credential seekers) who has conducted research about veterans, served in leadership positions for groups that help veterans, or served the veteran community in a way that enhanced their knowledge of issues impacting veterans is eligible. Nominations were due before March 15, 2022.
Past Events – Fall 2021
Below you will find recordings and links to additional information from past events.
Lethal Autonomous Weapons and Future Warfare with Dr. Amy Fletcher
Lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) are disrupting warfare in a complex era characterized by an unsure America, an assertive China, a rising India and an unpredictable Russia. Thirty countries have called for a global ban on LAWs, citing both the humanitarian consequences of ‘robot warfare’ and the need to have a human ‘in the loop’ of any decision to use lethal force. However, the four countries noted above see autonomous weapons as crucial to geopolitical power in the 21st century. This presentation introduces the global debate on LAWS and considers the future of 21st century warfare.
Dr. Fletcher joined EKU as a visiting professor of political science this year. Prior to returning to the USA, she achieved the rank of Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Her research interests include science and tech policy, Space 2.0 and the future of warfare and American security. Born in Huntsville, AL, as her Dad was a young engineer who worked on the Saturn rockets, she has been a space enthusiast since day one.
This work is supported by a Marsden Foundation grant (Marsden Grant 19-UOC-068) from the Royal Society of New Zealand. Thanks are due to Dr. Geoff Ford, postdoctoral scholar, for his assistance in building the dataset for this analysis.
This event was co-sponsored by the EKU Departments of Government and Psychology.
Today’s Afghanistan and Those Who Served
This panel discussion with veterans and service providers took place on 9/9/2021 and discussed the American exit from Afghanistan as well as its impact on the mental and spiritual health of those who served there.
This event was co-sponsored by the EKU Department of Psychology.
Jeremy Harrell
Jeremy Harrell is an U.S. Army veteran of the Iraq War. After serving as a non-commissioned officer, Harrell studied Business Management and worked in the Supply Chain Logistics industry. He later founded Veteran’s Club Inc. in Louisville, Ky. This non-profit has served thousands of transitioning veterans by providing career counseling, therapeutic interventions, job opportunities and various outreach initiatives for the homeless. Harrell has been featured on national and local news outlets and is considered a subject matter expert on numerous topics impacting the veteran community.
Moe Armstrong
Moe Armstrong is a decorated Vietnam War veteran of the US Marine Corps. He uses his inspirational story of recovery to help others struggling with mental illness. He has set up peer support networks across the country, including the “Vet to Vet,” a program that uses education, peer mentoring and writing to help those on the path to recovery. Come hear Moe’s story. He’s also a musician and might just break out his guitar. You will hear few life stories spanning such a range of experience and spirit of altruism as this one.
Deborah Daley
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Deborah Daley is an Adjutant General’s Corps officer from Virginia Beach, Virginia. She received her commission through the Army ROTC at Virginia Tech in 2004. Throughout her 17 years of service, LTC Daley has served in human resources officer positions at every echelon from the company to the brigade and in a variety of operational positions, to include as the Chief Operations Officer for the 10th Sustainment Brigade and as the I Corps G1 Plans and Operations Chief. She deployed twice (Ali Al Salem, Kuwait in 2005; Taji, Iraq in 2008) before pursuing her masters at the University of Virginia and rotating to serve as an instructor in the Department of English and Philosophy at the United States Military Academy. Her most recent assignment was as the Brigade S1 (Senior HR Officer) for the 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (BCT) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of English at the University of Kentucky and upon graduation will serve as an Academy Professor at the United States Military Academy. LTC Daley’s scholarly interests focus on the intersections of gender, performance and literary geographies. Her dissertation focuses on constructions of gendered performance and organizational space in contemporary war stories.