“Blurred Boundaries: The Experience of War and Its Aftermath” announces its second discussion series, to take place during February, March and April 2018. This discussion series, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, brings together community and student veterans, their families and interested community members to discuss the experience of military service, particularly as it pertains to wartime deployment.
Discussions will be led by veterans Mel Falck, Joe Hough and Philip Weiner, and by military- family member Adam Williams, all students at Appalachian State University.
Falck is an Army veteran who served in Iraq, is a doctoral student in educational leadership and works in the College of Education.
Hough is in the N.C. National Guard, has deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, is in the Educational Specialist Program in the Reich College of Education and is the assistant superintendent of Buncombe County Schools.
Weiner is a Navy Veteran who served on the USS Iwo Jima, recently received his MA in public administration with a specialty in Veterans Treatment Courts and serves on Appalachian’s Military Affairs Committee.
Williams is the son of a U.S. Army Ranger, is studying English and has interned with the VALOR Clinic Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping veterans, particularly those with injuries, return to civilian life.
These leaders will use selected passages drawn from films, books and photographs centered on the Civil War and the Vietnam War to spark conversation about military service. Discussion participants will receive free books. All events, including film screenings, are free and open to the public.
Part of the NEH’s “Dialogues on the Experience of War” program, the “Blurred Boundaries” interdisciplinary project was developed by Dr. Valerie Wieskamp, Department of Communication; Dr. Lynn Searfoss, Department of English; and Dr. Clark Maddux, Watauga Residential College. For more details on the program please visit the Blurred Boundaries website, https://blurboundaries.wordpress.com/.
Please contact Dr. Maddux (madduxhc@appstate.edu), Dr. Searfoss (searfossla@appstate.edu) or Dr. Wieskamp (wieskampvn@appstate.edu) for additional information or to sign up for the series.
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Appalachian: A Military Friendly® School
There are more than 200 self-identified student veterans enrolled at Appalachian. Since 2010, Victory Media, the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, has awarded Appalachian the designation of Military Friendly® School. The designation places Appalachian in the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students, and to dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation.
Appalachian maintains a website for veterans and military service members considering enrolling at the university. The university also has veteran counselors or advisors on staff, a veteran-specific page on the university’s financial aid website, a chapter of the Student Veterans Association on campus and assists veterans with career development. The university also offers in-state tuition without residency requirements for military students who are in the N.C. National Guard or on active duty at a military base within North Carolina.
By Ellen Gwin Burnette
BOONE, N.C.
Jan. 23, 2018
Public film and discussion series “Blurred Boundaries: The Experience of War and Its Aftermath” announces spring offerings
Public film and discussion series “Blurred Boundaries: The Experience of War and Its Aftermath” announces spring offerings