UCM Receives VA Grant to Memorialize Veterans In Higginsville, Fort Scott Cemeteries

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced the 欧美视频 (UCM) has received a $255,451 grant to memorialize veterans interred in VA and VA grant-funded cemeteries as part of the National Cemetery Administration鈥檚 Veterans Legacy Program (VLP).

The grants help fund opportunities for educators and students to conduct research and visit cemeteries to learn about the service and sacrifice of America鈥檚 veterans. Each grant recipient has designed a program to honor the brave men and women who are laid to rest in national cemeteries. At the end of each program, students will have a chance to share what they have learned in a public forum.

 

鈥淭hese grants connect America鈥檚 youth with America鈥檚 veterans,鈥� said Sam Brown, VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs. 鈥淭hey help teach young people valuable lessons about service, sacrifice, courage and perseverance that will last a lifetime.鈥�

Eight educational and research institutions received a total of $2.2 million. UCM is one of five universities and the only Missouri entity to receive a grant award this year.

UCM鈥檚 project will delve deeper into the rich history of the veterans interred at Fort Scott National Cemetery in Kansas and the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville. Jon Taylor, Ph.D., professor and graduate program coordinator of History, said no other VLP grants currently focus on the Midwest, and there is much more to be discovered through Veteran Voices from the Heartland. 

The 2026-27 funding marks UCM鈥檚 second VLP grant. Taylor said students and faculty will build on the work completed under the 2023-24 grant.

 

鈥淭he fact that the Veterans Administration selected UCM twice for this grant in a national competition with other universities and private organizations speaks to the quality of the faculty and students at UCM to be able to successfully complete the grant and fulfill the requirements in memorializing veterans who are interred in national and state cemeteries,鈥� Taylor said. 

Taylor and Tina Ellsworth, Ph.D., assistant professor and coordinator of Social Studies Education, are project co-directors. Taylor will oversee student research, while Ellsworth will coordinate professional development sessions and recruit teachers from Fort Scott and Higginsville to participate. 

The university will employ three graduate and two undergraduate students to plan professional development sessions and to research, write and upload biographies of veterans to the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM). Students will develop interpretive materials for each cemetery for walking tours and share veterans鈥� stories during public events next summer. They will also maintain the database of interred veterans and the project website. 

Social Studies Education students will create lesson plans for secondary teachers, providing guidance on researching veterans and incorporating their life stories into classroom instruction. Educational materials will be uploaded to the VLM and made available to local schools, museums, libraries and veteran organizations. 

 

鈥淪tudents will benefit from this high-impact learning opportunity, where they can put their research skills to work and see how their work benefits the public through published biographies, lesson plans and walking tours,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淭eachers and students in Missouri and Kansas schools will also benefit from this grant because they will learn how to incorporate the lives of these veterans into their classrooms, and their students can develop a connection with the veterans who are interred in these cemeteries.鈥�

VA established VLP in 2016 to memorialize veterans through educational outreach and to connect students, educators and citizens with VA national cemeteries. The program has so far awarded dozens of grants and engaged with more than 15,000 students. Veteran biographies, images and other content are also preserved on VA鈥檚 Veterans Legacy Memorial site, where individual webpages commemorate the lives and service of more than 10 million U.S. veterans interred in U.S. and overseas cemeteries.