COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus State University will publicly celebrate the founding of its new Lt. Gen. Harold & Julia Moore Institute for the Study of the American Military Experience on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. at Columbus' PowerHouse, with former acting Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy as the featured speaker. The university announced the new multidisciplinary center after the Board of Regents approved its honorary naming on Oct. 7, 2026. According to Columbus State, the institute is a new multidisciplinary center carrying the names of Lt. Gen. Harold "Hal" Moore and Julia Moore.

The university's Oct. 7 announcement identified Dr. David Kieran as the institute's inaugural director and outlined financial support from private donors and federal funding for military history preservation. The release also names related programs, including the Col. Richard R. Hallock Endowment for Military History and the Donahoe and Foster Vault for American Military History Preservation. The Nov. 11 program will mark the public celebration of the institute's founding and honorary naming.

Nov. 11 Founding Celebration at the PowerHouse

Columbus State has scheduled the founding celebration for Wednesday, Nov. 11, which is Veterans Day, according to the university's official announcement. The program begins at 7 p.m. at the PowerHouse in Columbus and will recognize the establishment and honorary naming of the Moore Institute. The university identified Patrick Murphy as the event's featured speaker.

Murphy was the first Iraq War veteran elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Columbus State. Murphy later served as the 32nd under secretary of the Army and briefly as acting secretary of the Army. Murphy's appearance is part of the university's announced program celebrating the institute's establishment.

The Oct. 7 university release did not specify a ticket price, admission policy or RSVP procedure for the Nov. 11 event. It directed those seeking additional event information to subscribe to email updates from the Hallock Endowment. Columbus State's official website, columbusstate.edu, provides access to university information, while its news website is news.columbusstate.edu.

Board of Regents Approved the Name Oct. 7

The Board of Regents approved the institute's honorary naming on Oct. 7, 2026, Columbus State announced that day. Its formal name is the Lt. Gen. Harold & Julia Moore Institute for the Study of the American Military Experience. The university also uses the shortened name Lt. Gen. Hal & Julia Moore Institute in its announcement.

Columbus State described the institute as a new multidisciplinary center devoted to the American military experience. Its establishment brings together the university's announced work in military history, education and preservation. The honorary naming places Harold and Julia Moore at the center of the institute's public identity.

President Stuart Rayfield connected the Moores' military service to the university's educational mission in the Oct. 7 announcement. Rayfield described their 30 years of service as "an enduring blueprint" for students and the community. The university presented the naming as part of its continuing commitment to military history education and preservation.

The institute's name also has a connection to the history of the nearby Army installation. WTVM reported that Fort Benning was renamed Fort Moore in 2023 in honor of Harold and Julia Moore and that the installation's name changed back the following year. The university's new institute carries the Moores' names in its title.

Dr. David Kieran Named Inaugural Director

Columbus State named Dr. David Kieran as the institute's inaugural director, according to the university announcement and WTVM's Oct. 8 report. Kieran holds the university's Col. Richard R. Hallock Distinguished University Chair of Military History. Kieran has served on the Columbus State faculty since 2022.

Kieran's appointment links the new institute with an existing distinguished academic position focused on military history. The university's announcement identified Kieran as the leader of the newly established center. Kieran's role gives the institute an inaugural director as it prepares for the Nov. 11 public founding celebration.

Kieran said the goal is for the institute to become the Southeast's premier military history institute, according to Columbus State. That statement describes the university's stated aspiration rather than an independently established ranking. The university has identified military history scholarship and preservation among the activities associated with the institute's founding.

Provost Dr. Dustin Anderson also addressed the institute's role in the university's announcement. "Columbus State University is uniquely positioned to lead the national conversation about the American military experience," Anderson said. Anderson's statement accompanied the university's description of the new center and its relationship to existing military history programs.

Private Gifts and $175,000 in Federal Funding

The university identified private donations and federal funding as financial support associated with its military history preservation work. According to Columbus State, personal gifts came from the Donahoe and Foster families, including retired Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe and siblings Maureen and Keith. The release lists those personal gifts as part of the institute's funding.

Columbus State also reported receiving $175,000 in bipartisan federal funding for military history preservation in early 2026. The university said U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock helped obtain that funding. The federal support was listed alongside the private family gifts in the official announcement.

The university did not provide a complete operating budget or staffing plan for the Moore Institute in the cited release. The $175,000 figure specifically identifies federal funding for military history preservation rather than a stated total institute budget. The announcement separately identified private family contributions without specifying their dollar amounts.

Hallock Endowments and Military History Programs

The Moore Institute is associated with university programs that predate its formal establishment, according to Columbus State. One is the Col. Richard R. Hallock Endowment for Military History, which was established in 2010. The endowment is among the existing military history initiatives identified in the university's Oct. 7 announcement.

Another program is the Myriam & Richard Hallock Distinguished Lecture in Foreign Policy & National Security Endowment. Columbus State reported that this endowment was created in early 2026. Its inclusion in the announcement connects the institute's founding with the university's foreign policy and national security educational activities.

The university also identified the Donahoe and Foster Vault for American Military History Preservation. According to Columbus State, the vault contains collections spanning from the American Revolution to the present. The university specifically identified papers belonging to former Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh among its holdings.

Together, the named endowments and preservation vault represent components of the university's military history activities described in the announcement. The Hallock military history endowment dates to 2010, while the distinguished lecture endowment was created in 2026. The preservation vault adds historical collections to the programs Columbus State identified in connection with the institute.

ROTC and Military Education at Columbus State

Columbus State also highlighted its existing military education programs in the announcement of the new institute. The university said its ROTC Cougar Battalion has commissioned more than 720 Army officers over 50 years. That figure describes the battalion's long-term commissioning record rather than a projection for the Moore Institute.

The university also provides academic transfer-credit opportunities for graduates of specified Army professional education programs. According to Columbus State, graduates of the Army's Captains Career Courses and Sergeant Major Academy receive pre-approved transfer credit toward several master's degrees. These arrangements were included among the military-related educational activities described in the institute announcement.

The ROTC commissioning record and graduate transfer-credit arrangements provide additional context for the university's military education work. Columbus State presented those existing programs alongside its military history endowments and preservation collections. The newly named institute adds a multidisciplinary center to the university activities identified in the Oct. 7 release.

Institute's Public Launch Scheduled for Veterans Day

The Nov. 11 PowerHouse program will be the public founding celebration for the Moore Institute following the Board of Regents' Oct. 7 naming approval. Columbus State has announced the 7 p.m. starting time, the PowerHouse location and Patrick Murphy's appearance as featured speaker. The event remains scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to the university's announcement.

Additional program information was directed through the Hallock Endowment's email updates, according to Columbus State. The official release did not specify a ticket cost or RSVP requirement, and it did not publish a complete institute staffing or operating budget. The university's published information identifies the event, leadership, funding sources and related academic programs as the institute approaches its public launch.

The formal name recognizes Lt. Gen. Harold and Julia Moore, while the institute's stated academic focus is the study of the American military experience. Columbus State has identified Kieran as its founding director and described existing endowments, preservation collections and military education programs in connection with the new center. The Veterans Day gathering at the PowerHouse will be the university's announced public celebration of that establishment.