Buies Creek, N.C.- A decorated military officer, professor of history at West Point and dean emeritus of Campbell University’s College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Walter S. Barge has enjoyed a rich professional life. His performance as dean was especially marked by his vast experience and knowledge. To honor Barge’s distinguished contribution to the College of Arts and Sciences, the Campbell University Honors program, which he created, has established the Walter S. Barge Honors Colloquium student lecture series.
The Colloquium, which began during the week of April 14, features student presentations on research projects initiated during the fall semester. The presentations are interdisciplinary and include analysis and exploration of a variety of subject matter-from the character of Faith Lehane in the television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”-to the mortality and vaccination rates in Camaroon and Nigeria. Each honor student receives guidance and instruction on his or her project from a faculty mentor. Dr. Barge himself served as a mentor to student Luke Morales’ “Video Project: Indonesia.”
“The Colloquium is academically valuable from several perspectives,” said foreign language professor Dr. Ann Ortiz, who coordinates the Honors program with Professor Bert Wallace of the Department of Theatre Arts. “It is interdisciplinary, and it also provides opportunities to integrate faith and learning and service learning, two of the prongs of Campbell’s mission statement.”
The Colloquium has received a very positive response from students, faculty and the community, Ortiz added. “Everyone is pleased with the depth and breadth of its content as well as its homage to Dr. Barge, who is widely admired and respected.”
Dr. Walter S. Barge graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1957. He went on to obtain a Master of Arts in European history from Columbia University in New York and received a Ph.D. in European history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Barge retired from the U.S. Army in 1979 after 21 years of active service, which included service in Vietnam, nine years as a professor in undergraduate level history at the U.S. Military Academy and service as the executive officer of a nuclear missile site in the Seattle Air Defense sector. Upon his retirement from the military, Barge served as founding headmaster of a private Christian school. He became dean of Campbell’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1984 and retired from that position in 2001.
A native of Durham, N.C., Barge is the recipient of two Bronze Stars, the Vietnamese Police Medal of Honor and the Legion of Merit. He is a also a member of the honor societies Phi Alpha Theta, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Gamma Mu.
Photo Copy: Dr. Walter S. Barge