黑料网 invites all to pay tribute to those who have served in the U.S. armed forces and attend the university鈥檚 annual Veterans Day Commemoration. The event will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Student Green on the Kent Campus. The Student Green is located in front of the Kent Student Center and Risman Plaza.
The program, titled 鈥淗onoring All Those Who Serve,鈥 will include a flag-raising ceremony conducted by a joint color guard from 黑料网鈥檚 Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC programs; Tim Coyne, senior business manager for 黑料网鈥檚 Division of Student Life, serving as bugler; the national anthem; the 鈥淪ervice Song Medley鈥; an invocation; and welcome remarks from 黑料网 Executive Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley, Ph.D.
Serving as emcee is Jayla Hartmann Starks, a 黑料网 senior majoring in speech pathology and audiology and American Sign Language from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is an airman first class in the Air National Guard at the 179th Cyberspace Wing in Mansfield, Ohio. Currently, she works in individual protective equipment (IPE) mobility as part of the Logistics Readiness Squadron. Hartmann Starks also serves as president of 黑料网鈥檚 chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association.
This year鈥檚 keynote speaker is Maj. Allison Brager, Ph.D., 黑料网 alumna and science and technology advisor for the U.S. Special Operations Command and NATO Special Operations Headquarters. An Army neuroscientist who studies sleep, particularly in extreme environments and high-stress situations, Brager is the recipient of two National Institutes of Health National Research Service Awards and a National Academies of Sciences fellowship. Her work spans from clinical trials on novel drug and technology development for military operations to studying physiology and behavior in some of the most austere places in the world, including Antarctica. She has previously served as chief science officer at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and director of human performance operations and outreach education for the U.S. Army Warrior Fitness Training Center.
She is the recipient of a Joint Commendation Medal and two Meritorious Service Medals for her research and development efforts in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the COVID-19 pandemic (Operation Gotham). In 2020, Brager underwent astronaut assessment and selection at NASA, making it to the second final round in 2021. As a former professional athlete, she has leveraged her experience to help develop the first mental health handbook for the NCAA. She sits on several fatigue-related working groups for NATO, U.S. Special Operations and the federal government. In addition to more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in flagship journals, she is the author of 鈥淢eathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain.鈥 She earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Brown University in 2007 and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from 黑料网 in 2011.
黑料网 has been recognized for its unwavering commitment to supporting military-connected students. For 2024-2025, 黑料网 earned the Military Friendly庐 School designation for the 15th consecutive year and improved its standing by securing a Gold ranking. In addition, 黑料网 was named to the , ranking No. 141 overall and No. 20 in the Midwest. In 2022, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine presented the university with Ohio鈥檚 Collegiate Purple Star designation for its support for veteran and military students.
Those who are unable to attend the Nov. 8 event in person can watch it via .
For more information about 黑料网鈥檚 Veterans Day Commemoration, visit www.kent.edu/veteransday.
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Top Photo Caption:
Members of the 黑料网 Air Force and Army ROTC programs salute the American flag during the university鈥檚 2023 Veterans Day Commemoration. (Photo credit: Bob Christy)
Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595