Alumni Spotlight

 

Michael Hankins

PhD, 2018

"When I think of my time at K-State, I mostly think of the deep friendships I made while I was there. Whether it was working together in writing groups, collaborating on research, or just hanging out for fun, I truly loved the strong sense of community there, both among the other students and the faculty. Many of the people I met at K-State are still among my closest friends today."

Michael Hankins arrived at Kansas State in 2013 and began working with Dr. Donald Mrozek. His research focused on the history of military aviation, particularly the technological design and development of aircraft. He successfully defended his dissertation in 2018, which explored how the unique culture of fighter pilots influenced the technological design of the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.

Since completing his time at KSU, Hankins has been an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy, a professor of strategy at Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, and is currently the Curator for U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps post-WW2 Aviation at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. His dissertation from K-State became the basis for his first book, Flying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia (Cornell University Press, 2021). He is also the host of the "From Balloons to Drones" podcast.

 

Brian Laslie

PhD, 2013

"I loved the sense of community and family at Kansas State and remain a die hard K-State fan. I never felt in competition with any of the grad students and we hung out together a lot, even outside of school. We all had a great time together."

While at K-State, Brian's research focused on American military history with a focus on air power and Cold War studies. In 2013, he defended his dissertation entitled "Red Flag: How the Risde of 'Realistic Training' after Vietnam Changed the Air Force's Way of War, 1975-1999," which later turned into his first book, The Air Force Way of War (University Press of Kentucky, 2015).

Brian became an historian for the Air Force in 2009, when he was ABD, and currently serves as the Command Historian for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.

 

Matthew McDonough

PhD, 2011

"Believe it or not I have very fond memories of prepping for preliminary exams with some of my grad buddies."

Matthew started my PhD at K-State in fall of 2007 and completed it in the fall of 2011. His dissertation, directed by Dr. Charles Sanders, was entitled "Manifestly uncertain destiny which explored 19th century expansion and rhetoric."

He spent about a decade teaching military history and teaching pedagogy at Coastal Carolina University and had a 1yr visiting position at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In 2024 he started a new job as Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Warfighting at the Air Command and Staff College.

 

Rich Myrick

PhD, 2023

“My favorite memories of K-State reflect the friendship and support of fellow students. While I chose K-State for the quality of its faculty and programs, I will remember most fondly the intellectual engagement and convivial camaraderie of my peers.”

Rich’s dissertation focused on the foundation and legacy of a liberal and non-confessional Catholic political party active in France from 1901-1919. The subject fits into his broader interest in political, constitutional, and confessional movements in Early Modern and Modern Europe. He also studies eighteenth and nineteenth century naval history, with a specific research interest in the British and French naval forces of the Georgian Era.

Post-graduation, Rich continues to research and write about both political and military history.

 

Kenneth Smith

PhD, 2024

“I would not be where I am today without K-State. The faculty and my fellow grad students helped me grow professionally as a historian, as a student, and as an educator. The relationships I built there both personally and professionally from my time as an M.A. student through earning my Ph.D. made the process an exceptional one.”

Kenneth Smith began his doctoral work in 2019 after graduating with his masters from Kansas State in 2018 and continued his work with Dr. Andrew Orr. His research focused on Black history, particularly Black education and western imperialism. He successfully defended his dissertation in 2024. It explored the efforts of Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute to use the Black education model of the U.S. South to help Black people throughout the African diaspora that had been impacted by both Jim Crow and western imperialism.

Kenneth currently serves as a tenure track associate professor of history at Taft College in Taft, California, a position he was appointed to in 2023 while he was ABD.

 

Kate Tietzen-Wisdom

PhD, 2019

“K-State immediately felt like home to me. This included the history department, the university, and the city of Manhattan. It was wonderful to feel such a strong sense of belonging and community. But even then, I love that the K-State network is so extensive—I keep in regular touch with several of my fellow graduate students and always seem to run into history department alum at work or social events across the country.”

While at K-State, Kate Tietzen-Wisdom worked with Dr. Don Mrozek. Her research focused on Iraqi military and diplomatic operations in the Cold War and post-Cold War era using Ba'th Party documents captured following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In order to research this topic, Kate studied Arabic in Oman and Jordan.

She now works at the US Army Center of Military History at Fort McNair in Washington, DC, as part of the Iraq War division currently working on the official histories of the US Army in Iraq.