NEWPORT, R.I. – U.S. Naval War College (NWC) honored one of their former presidents, Adm. Stansfield Turner, with the inaugural Stansfield Turner lecture series event and the renaming of a college corridor in his name to highlight his significant and meaningful career August 7.
Turner was president of NWC from 1972-74 and during that time enacted significant curriculum changes that revitalized the academic rigor of the college, putting heavy emphasis on original sources as a guide for strategic thinking.
Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harley, president, NWC, said, “Forty-five years later, Turner’s reforms have continued to shape the Naval War College curriculum. His legacy is evident in the three-core course trimester, the permanent scholarly faculty, the emphasis on original documentary research, and the active advocacy for the study of maritime history.”
The opening of the Stansfield Turner Memorial Walkway will allow Turner’s legacy to become a physical part of the college reminding current students of Turner’s lasting impact on the academics and morals of the NWC.
“Turner transformed the college into an institution that broadened the perspectives of officers and taught them to use history as the foundation for solving contemporary strategic challenges.” said David Kohnen, director, John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research for NWC. “Among sailors and scholars, Adm. Stansfield Turner holds a truly unique place in the long history of the U.S. Navy.”
The first lecture of the series was held this past Tuesday for students, faculty and staff in Pringle Auditorium where guest speaker retired Army Gen. David H. Petraeus spoke with the students, faculty and staff.