A Salute to Our U of A Veterans

Kelvin McGee - U.S. Marine Corps

Bishop Sisemore - U.S. Navy and U.S. Army

Allen Porter - U.S. Army

Danielle Williams - Air National Guard

Steven Rosales - U.S. Naval Reserve

Garrett Kitterman - U.S. Air Force

Photo by Russell Cothren

From left, Cadets Samuel Hamilton, Nile Hanna, Quinn Graves and Christopher Papania of the Razorback Battalion Army ROTC Color Guard recreated this 1921 archival photo taken in front of Old Main. The Razorback Battalion's roots stretch back to the founding of the U of A in 1871 when compulsory military training began as part of the Morrill Act.

In honor of Veterans Day, the University of Arkansas salutes all veterans including the students, faculty and staff among our campus community that have served our country with bravery, commitment, honor and integrity.

With more than 30,000 students on our campus this year and more than 5,000 faculty and staff members, many veterans and current service members help make up that community and are involved in a variety of ways. In the last three years, more than 800 enrolled students were either current service members or veterans. 

Many veterans also make up our online community as U.S. News and World Report has recently ranked the U of A Global Campus 16th in the nation for best online bachelor’s degree programs for veterans. 

We are honoring a few of the veterans and  service members that are part of our everyday community and say thank you to all the brave men and women who have served and are currently our country. 

RAZORBACK VETERANS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Kelvin McGee

Kelvin McGee, a senior engineering major, served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years as a Sergeant. He says, “My military career was an introduction into a professional work environment. It exposed me to working in conjunction with others from various backgrounds and talents to achieve a goal.” McGee added he developed a higher desire to be independent, reliable and improve the organization. 

McGee is studying civil engineering and hopes to become a professional engineer. “I’ve always been told that I’m destined for great things, and getting a degree is an integral part of it. I feel as though it’s an important step for my future as well as something I’m meant to achieve.” 

He credits his military career for improving his time management and prioritization skills in addition to learning how to break down difficult tasks into smaller, easier steps. McGee puts these skills to use on campus as he prioritizes his schoolwork and classes. 

His favorite part of the University of Arkansas are his friends and the diversity the U of A allows him to experience. McGee hopes to “become a vital part of the development of whatever community he becomes a part of” he added. 

Bishop Sisemore

Bishop Sisemore is a junior student from Siloam Springs, Ark., and is a public health major in the College of Education and Health Professions. 

He was a corpsman in the U.S. Navy from 2010 to 2020, then joined the U.S. Army where he is currently a specialist. 

Sisemore decided to study at the U of A in hopes of giving back by becoming a community health advisor or health inspector in his hometown.

“There are two reasons why I chose to pursue a degree,” Sisemore said. “The first reason is that I have a passion about cleaning, organizing, and keeping things in order, which translates into a public health degree. The second reason is that i've always wanted to go to my dream school which is the University of Arkansas. Arkansas is where i spent a great portion of my life, and i have been to every state besides Alaska and Hawaii. It is important to give back to my community, because the people are very hospitable and so caring. Also, my community is home and is a part of me as a person.”

The U of A is committed to supporting and identifying resources for the military veterans we hire, those reentering our workforce, and our students transitioning to university life.

Allen Porter

After serving 35 years total between active duty and the reserves with the U.S. Army, Allen Porter is in the process of retiring from the armed services. Porter reached the rank of Sergeant First Class and currently his reserve duties are focused on medical supply, although over the years, he has served in many different occupational specialities in the military. 

Porter is employed at the University of Arkansas Police Department. Corporal Porter is the Community Outreach and Involvement Liason as well as a part time non-traditional student. Porter is a junior furthering his educational goals in Finance and Administration and the College of Education and Health Professions. 

Porter said, “on the professional side, I love working with all faculty, staff and students on campus safety and security issues.” Right now his focus is teaching the campus community about SafeZone, a mobile safety app. “On the lighter side, it is the atomosphere of friendship and laughter” he added that is his favorite part of U of A. 

Danielle Williams

Danielle Williams serves as the associate vice chancellor & executive director for Equal Opportunity, Compliance and Title IX at the U of A. On a part-time basis, Williams is an adjunct professor in the Management Department of the Sam M. Walton College of Business. 

Williams served 20 years in the Air National Guard and retired with the rank of Major in June 2018. Her final position was director of equal opportunity for the 188th Wing in Fort Smith.

Williams received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1998 and Master of Education with an emphasis in Vocational Education and Human Resource Development from the U of A in 2002. In May 2009, she received a Doctorate in Workforce Development Education at the U of A. She has been a certified Senior Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Professional since June 2016 and a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) since April 2018. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of affirmative action, equal employment opportunity (EEO) and human resources.

Williams serves on several committees that promote equity, diversity, inclusion and community cohesion in the Northwest Arkansas area; some include Sponsorship & Publicity Chair of the NWA Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Council and Chair of the NWA Juneteenth Celebration. She also serves on the Board of Trustees at the Historic St. James Missionary Baptist Church, where she has been a member since 1992.

Williams said, “One of my favorite things about working at the U of A is being able to serve and support the campus community to ensure that it is a great place to work.”

Steven Rosales

Steven Rosales is an associate professor in the history department and has been active military member since 1988. After serving on active duty until 1992, Rosales has been a drilling reservist with the U.S. Naval Reserve and was commissioned as an ensign in 2010.

He is currently a Lieutenant Commander and is attached to the Naval Personnel Command at Naval Station Mid-South in Millington, Tenn. 

“The professionalism I encountered and the mentoring I received during four years of active-duty service provided a solid foundation for future growth and success,” Rosales said. “It furthered my transformation into a mature adult with career goals and provided the motivation and confidence to achieve them.”

Rosales received his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Irvine in 2007 and is also affiliated faculty in the Latin American and Latina/o Studies Program.

His first book, Soldados Razos at War: Chicano Politics, Identity, and Masculinity in the U.S. Military from World War II to Vietnam was published in 2017 with the University of Arizona Press and is a direct intersection of his Mexican American heritage, his military service and professional work as a historian.

He is currently working on his next book on Latinx communities in the U.S. military from 1975 to the present day. 

Garrett Kitterman

A senior physics major and math minor, Garrett Kitterman served in the U.S. Air Force for four years as a Senior Airman. He was deployed to Iraq for seven months providing security and also served in Turkey and California as nuclear security specialist and military law enforcement. 

Currently, Kitterman is working under Hugh Churchill and helping with research of exotic quantum phenomena and quantum devices. He is also the president of the Razorback Student Veterans and strives to become a research scientist 

“The most valuable lesson I gained while serving in the military was to diversify my experiences and be open minded. What better way to do that than in college?” he said.

The U of A is committed to supporting and identifying resources for the military veterans we hire, those reentering our workforce, and our students transitioning to university life. 

If you are a veteran and looking for more information about resources available on campus, please visit the Equal Opportunity and Compliance website. If you have questions about admissions, check out the admissions website.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.