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The LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Symposium Endowment Campaign

The LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Symposium on War, Conflict, and Society

Endowment campaign in script lettering

Most Americans do not have a direct, personal understanding of war or military service.
Less than one half of one percent of the population serves in the armed forces,
few Americans know anyone who has served, and recent wars
have failed to sustain public attention for very long.

Founded in 2016 through the generosity of Dr. David and Teresa Schmidt,
the LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Symposium on War, Conflict, and Society
seeks to bridge this widening gap between civilians and the military.

Featuring the world’s leading scholars, journalists, policymakers, and veterans,
the symposium offers TCU students and the larger community unique
opportunities to understand the costs of war.

This Endowment Campaign will fund the symposium in perpetuity,
allowing us to continue and expand our important work.

Give Here

Your donation will allow us to continue to Honor a Legacy

Black and white Picture of Benjamin Schmidt smiling

 

Highlights of the LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Symposium on War, Conflict, and Society:

  • Seeks to bridge the widening gap between civilians and the military through focused conversations with world-renowned experts
  • Creates unique learning opportunities for students to engage with leading scholars, journalists, policymakers, and veterans
  • Previous participants include National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalists, Carnegie Fellow, National Endowment for the Humanities Fellows, and a recipient of the Secretary of the Army Public Service Award.
  • Free and open to the public, accessible to teachers and the broader public through CSPAN coverage.

 

Previous Symposia Topics:

  • 2016 - The US Army and the "Problem" of Race
  • 2017 - World War I: Was it a Great War?
  • 2018 - Suffering the Horrors of War
  • 2019 - The Vietnam War
  • 2022 - The Afghanistan Wars
  • 2023 - Division: Race and Racism in World War II
  • 2024 - Korea: The First Forever War
2016 schmidt symposium flyer Flyer for 2017 symposium Was it a great war? 2018 schmidt symposium poster Flyer about 2019 symposium about the vietnam war Flyer for 2022 symposium about the afghanistan wars flyer about 2023 symposium lecture by thomas gulielmo about his book division: race and racism in world war 2 korean war flyer with names

 

For more information on the endowment campaign, contact Kenton Watt, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development, Major Gifts at 817-257-6703 or k.watt@tcu.edu.