“Veterans” is the theme for the fall 2015 MTSU Honors Lecture Series.

The semiannual series resumed Monday, Sept. 14, as Many-Bears Grinder, Tennessee Department of Veterans Services commissioner, delivered the lecture following a break for the Labor Day holiday.

Grinder, who was appointed to the position in January 2011 by Gov. Bill Haslam, was expected to discuss “Women in Service.”

The long-running lecture series, featuring focused topics and presenters from multiple disciplines on and off campus, not only is a required class (UH 3000) for Honors College students, but also is free and open to the public.

Focusing on a primary theme, weekly presenters provide perspective, based on their own field of study and research. Lectures are held at 3 p.m. every Monday in the Simmons Amphitheater, Room 106, of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building, 1737 Blue Raider Drive. There will be no lecture Oct. 12 because of fall break.

To find the Honors building and nearby parking, a searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParking2015-16. Visitors attending the lecture series should obtain a special one-day permit from MTSU’s Office of Parking and Transportation Services at http://www.mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php.

“The series aims to highlight veterans and the veteran experience to promote a greater awareness of and appreciation for those who have served in the armed forces,” said Philip Phillips, Honors College associate dean and professor of English.

“MTSU has a rich and significant relationship with veterans, especially since the GI Bill, and will soon celebrate the establishment of the MTSU Veterans and Military Family Center on our campus, which underscores our commitment to veterans on campus and in our community,” Phillips added.

The Sept. 21 lecture will feature Ken MacLeish of the Vanderbilt University Center for Medicine, Health and Society. His topic will be “Imagining Military Suicide.”

For the complete fall lecture series schedule, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/honors/lecture-series/2015-fall.php.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)