Simons Center increases efforts to publish faculty and student research

In spring 2016, the Simons Center began seeking to publish more of the scholarship being produced here at the Command and General Staff College by both faculty and students.

“Much very good, and thoughtful work in many subject areas is being produced and discussed here at Fort Leavenworth, the intellectual center of the U.S. Army,” said retired Col. Rod Cox, program director of the Simons Center. “The Simons Center is in a unique position to partner with the College to offer a commercial publishing opportunity and bring this work into the interagency discourse so that it can become part of the world-wide discussion.”

Dr. Jack Kem presents his paper to CGSOC students and other attendees at the Fort Leavenworth Ethics Symposium.

Cox also noted that the Simons Center’s publications are published both in hard copy and online and are read by both domestic and international policy makers, educators and practitioners from government, educational institutions, think tanks and private industry.

Dr. Ted Thomas, director of the CGSC Department of Command and Leadership, presents his research during the ethics symposium. Thomas will have an article published in the upcoming edition of the Simons Center’s InterAgency Journal.

“Having the Simons Center as a publication venue for our projects is extremely helpful,” said Dr. Jack Kem, a CGSC professor who oversees the West Africa Studies Scholars Program. “The students are putting in the time and effort to research their topics and it’s important that they publish their work. It certainly helps motivate them, but more importantly, publishing their work will help further discussion and broaden the body of knowledge. – It’s what professionals do.”

Dr. Kem is currently guiding a group of CGSC students who are researching interagency aspects of national security issues on the African continent and their implications for future operations.

And it’s not just traditional national security operations topics that the Simons Center is publishing.

“The interagency community is very much interested in reading about leader development both in and outside of government,” said Cox.

Dr. Ted Thomas, director of the Department of Command and Leadership and Dr. Dan Cox, of the School of Advanced Military Studies, have both recently authored articles on the importance of culture and ethics for the InterAgency Journal. Cox’s article was published in IAJ 7-1 and Thomas’ article is scheduled for the next edition.

The Simons Center offers multiple publication opportunities for interagency researchers, scholars and practitioners. The InterAgency Journal is a refereed national security studies journal that provides a forum for professional discussion and the exchange of information and ideas on matters pertaining to issues of interagency cooperation, coordination and collaboration. The IAJ has a readership of more than 1,500 in hardcopy and online downloads of more than 1,100 times per month. Additionally, the Center publishes the InterAgency Essay series, which is designed to provide an outlet for original essays on topics that stimulate professional discussion and further public understanding of interagency aspects encountered at both the application and policy levels, often reflecting an author’s thoughts based on personal experiences and lessons learned. The Center’s InterAgency Paper series offers original research and scholarly papers focusing in-depth on an issue and reflects findings involving the cooperation, collaboration and coordination among and between governmental departments and agencies. Finally, the Center’s special InterAgency Study series allows for more scholarly, in-depth research that contributes to a better understanding and history of a particular interagency issue or policy from an institutional perspective.

To find out more about publication opportunities and to read the Center’s publications visit the website at www.TheSimonsCenter.org or contact the Simons Center at (913) 682-7244.