Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane | U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Hal Lamberton, Kentucky's adjutant general, signs a memorandum of...... read more read more
RICHMOND, Ky. – Leaders from the Kentucky National Guard (KYNG) and Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) met on the Richmond campus to establish a formal partnership to support Guardsmen and their family members pursuing higher education, Mar. 26, 2025.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, Kentucky’s adjutant general, and Dr. David McFaddin, president of EKU, both spoke on the significance of the partnership and signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Along with the leadership from KYNG’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Brian Wertzler, deputy adjutant general, and Mr. Steven King, chief of staff, both graduates of EKU, were also in attendance.
Both Lamberton and McFaddin spoke about the community-based nature of the KYNG and emphasized the significance of the shared commitment to Guardsmen and their family members.
“At Eastern Kentucky University, we prioritize supporting those who serve our country–as evidenced by our top two ranking in Military Friendly Schools and Best for Vets status,” said McFaddin. “Our partnership with the Kentucky National Guard strengthens that commitment by providing even greater opportunities for service members to pursue their educational and career goals.”
The MoU establishes guidelines by which the EKU Office of Military and Veteran Affairs (OMVA) may act as a liaison to support and guide servicemembers or their family members through education benefits, military leave, and course completion. Military-connected students will also receive advance access to course registration, as well as credit toward program/degree completion by maximizing joint service transcripts (JST).
The KYNG will provide EKU a full-time officer to be an assistant professor of military science and a liaison to the EKU Army ROTC program. The Guard will also provide support for military-focused events at EKU, as well as support current and potential military-connected students by connecting them with the EKU OMVA.
“This partnership underscores the shared commitment of the KYNG and EKU to our veterans and their family members by ensuring they have access to the support and services needed to successfully pursue higher education while simultaneously serving our state and our country through military service,” said Lamberton.
EKU serves roughly 15,000 students, 1,800 of which are military-connected.
“We have to think about how we recruit and how we create those spaces and opportunities to do this in a way that connects us,” said McFaddin. “When we think about flooding, and we think about tornadoes, and we think about all the things that happen in our local communities where we live and where we work – the National Guard is there to support us every day.”
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jason Mendez, commander of the KYNG Recruiting and Retention Battalion, offered his perspective as to the significance of the partnership.
“Today’s signing of the MoU was symbolic of, and reinforces, EKU’s consistent commitment to its partnership with the KYNG,” said Mendez. “This agreement extends our ability to provide an opportunity for service to future Citizen-Soldiers while helping them achieve their educational goals.”
Partnerships such as this not only support the educational and service goals of Kentucky Guardsmen, but also enable the KYNG to grow a more relevant and lethal force through fostering critical thinking, creativity, and innovation. This enhances overall readiness by developing a more agile and adaptive force to meet both state and federal missions and win the future fight in a rapidly changing environment.
The KYNG also has an MoU with Northern Kentucky University and will establish another in the coming weeks with Morehead State University.
| Date Taken: | 03.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2025 15:23 |
| Story ID: | 494029 |
| Location: | RICHMOND, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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