GKC Post welcomed engineering students from Command and General Staff College

By Rona Aquino on Aug 06, 2012 | 0 comments

On July 26, 2012, the SAME Greater Kansas City (GKC) Post welcomed more than 45 engineering students from the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) to Kansas City.  The event was held at Kansas City Boulevard Brewery, where more than 120 CGSC at Fort Leavenworth students and SAME members enjoyed Kansas City barbecue and refreshments. The Kansas City’s skyline and World War I Liberty Memorial served as the picturesque backdrop for the event.

The event highlighted an ongoing effort to improve the military, academia and industry goals of the Army Engineer Regiment. GKC Post Vice President Matt L. Metcalf, P.E., emceed the festivities while Brig. Gen. Peter A. “Duke” DeLuca, Commandant, U.S. Army Engineer School, provided the keynote address. Brig. Gen DeLuca encouraged the students to improve their engineer skills by obtaining career credentials such as Project Management Professional (PMP), or Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) while networking with professional engineer organizations. Dr. Kevin Z. Truman, Dean, School of Computing and Engineering, UMKC; and Lt. Cdr. Kevin R. Casey, CGSC; also presented.

Dr. Kevin Z. Truman discussed the various continuing professional education and advanced degree opportunities that the students can take advantage of. The GKC Post have teamed up with Dr. Truman to offer members a six-week P.E. refresher course and continuing education courses during Post events such as Industry Day and regional meetings.

Lt. Cdr. Kevin R. Casey introduced the class profile: 49 Army Engineers, 3 Navy Seabees and 2 Air Force Engineers in class 13-01. Of all the officers, 90% have had two or more combat tours; 22% have just returned from a deployment in the last 6 months; and more than 80% have not had the chance to experience downtown Kansas City before the event.

As a conclusion to the festivities, Post Director Melissa Kelley surprised the crowd with a door prize drawing. Raffle prizes included KC Chiefs vs. San Diego Charger tickets and gift cards. Proceeds will go to the Wounded Warrior Project to benefit injured service members.

Briefings were provided the following day at CGSC to supplement the event. Maj. Rachel A. Honderd, PMP, Deputy Commander, Kansas City District, USACE, discussed the Kansas City District’s several missions of local and nationwide impact along with potential career opportunities in a USACE district.  GKC Post Vice President Matt Metcalf provided a briefing on GKC Post and invited the CGSC students to join SAME. He described the many activities and events undertaken by the Post and welcomed all students to participate in Post activities throughout the year.

Article submitted by Merrill Watt, P.E., SAME GKC Post. For more information, contact him at merrill.watt@gmail.com. Learn more about the GKC Post by visiting www.samekc.org. Inquiries regarding the continuing education and PMP preparation courses mentioned above can be directed to Christina Davis, Director of Continuing Education, School of Computing and Engineering, UMKC at davischristina@umkc.edu.