Moore Institute strengthens Columbus State’s commitment to military history

Columbus is a city that loves the military. Fort Benning anchors the military community, supporting over 120,000 active-duty service members, families, reservists, retirees, and civilian employees daily. It’s the home of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, Armor School, Infantry School, Ranger School, and the 75th Ranger Regiment. It spans almost 200,000 acres across Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County in Alabama.

For a brief time, the installation was even renamed Fort Moore, after Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife Julia. That was in 2023 but two years later, the Department of Defense reverted the base’s name to Fort Benning, though its namesake was updated to honor World War I hero Corporal Fred G. Benning instead of the original Confederate general.

Now, Columbus State University has established the Lt. Gen. Harold & Julia Moore Institute for the Study of the American Military Experience to enhance education, research and public engagement regarding the U.S. military’s role in society.

The Moore Institute aims to strengthen the university’s existing military history programs, preserve critical historical records, and foster collaboration among students, historians and military professionals locally and nationally.

“Columbus State University is uniquely positioned to lead the national conversation about the American military experience,” said Dr. Dustin Anderson, provost and chief academic officer. “Establishing the Lt. Gen. Hal & Julia Moore Institute of the Study of the American Military Experience reflects both our opportunity and our responsibility to deepen the understanding of the military’s role in our democracy, to preserve the stories of those who have served, and to equip the next generation of leaders and informed citizens.”

Uniting military history education and preservation

Dr. David Kieran, a leading military history authority, author and Columbus State faculty member since 2022, has been named the Moore Institute’s inaugural director. He will continue connecting and building upon existing military-related university initiatives as the Moore Institute adopts an elevated role as Columbus State’s hub for innovative, military-focused research, public programs, educational opportunities and historic preservation.

Kieran described the Moore Institute as a central hub for collaboration within the university and beyond. As it broadens classroom engagement, promotes innovative research, expands archival collections and spurs new opportunities for student internships, public programs and global study, it will also connect and enhance existing military-related university initiatives such as:

• The Richard R. Hallock Endowment for Military History, established in 2010 to honor the distinguished World War II parachutist, has further broadened its scholarly and public initiatives under Kieran’s leadership.
• The Myriam & Richard Hallock Distinguished Lecture in Foreign Policy & National Security Endowment, created in early 2026 by Mrs. Hallock, a career foreign service officer, and the Richard R. Hallock Foundation, complements programs funded by her husband’s initial endowment.
• Within the university’s Archives & Special Collections, the newly established 1st Lt. William A. Donahoe Jr. and Corporal Charles Foster Vault for American Military History Preservation highlights several nationally significant collections documenting military history spanning the American Revolution to today. Notable additions include papers and artifacts from former Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, trailblazing Army social worker James Martin, and Robert McNamara “whiz kid” Pierre Sprey.
• The ROTC Cougar Battalion, which over the last 50 years, has commissioned more than 720 U.S. Army officers while remaining one of the top units in the U.S. Army Cadet Command.
• Graduate degree partnerships nationwide with the U.S. Army’s Captains Career Courses and Sergeant Major Academy, whereby graduates of these programs receive pre-approved academic transfer credit toward several Columbus State master’s degrees.
• Academic, research and operational partnerships with Fort Benning, along with military organizations and nearby historic sites and landmarks like the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center and the National Civil War Museum.

“For those of us who have not served in the military, it’s incumbent on us as a matter of citizenship to thoughtfully analyze and appreciate the military’s role in society and the work that we ask our servicemen and servicewomen to do, as well as the experiences of military families and the communities in which they live,” Kieran noted. “Through our new Moore Institute for the Study of the American Military Experience, Columbus State will more fully establish itself as the Southeast’s premier military history institute as we further engage with our fellow citizens in and out of uniform about what that commitment to serve our country really means.”

“The study of the professional military and the influence of military culture within the United States is unique to Columbus State,” noted Greg Moore, one of the Moores’ five children. “It is significant because the lives of soldiers and their families carve out a unique ethos within the American experience. Understanding this ethos—how soldiers are made from citizens.

The university will celebrate the Moore Institute’s founding and honorary naming as part of a Veterans Day program on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The event at Columbus’ PowerHouse will feature Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq War veteran to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, who later served as the 32nd U.S. under secretary of the Army and briefly as acting secretary of the Army. The program begins at 7 p.m.

To receive information about the Nov. 11 event and other Moore Institute endeavors, subscribe to Hallock Endowment email updates.