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September 25, 2002

Media Contact: Abe Shragge, (858) 822-3124 or Dolores Davies, (858) 534-5994

UCSD TO HOST OCT. 12 CONFERENCE ON ROLE OF
VETERAN'S, MILITARY INSTITUTIONS IN SAN DIEGO REGION

The critical role that San Diego's veterans and military institutions have played in the life of the San Diego region will be the subject of a one-day conference to be held on the campus of the University of California, San Diego Oct. 12.

"San Diego's Veterans: Understanding Their Critical Role in the Life of the Region," is being sponsored by the UCSD Civic Collaborative and its San Diego Regional Studies Network. (SDRSN). SDRSN was established last year by UCSD's Civic Collaborative and the San Diego Historical Society as a clearinghouse for scholars, professionals, and interested citizens on subjects related to San Diego's history, culture, economy, and environment.

The conference, which will be held from 9 a.m to 2 p.m. at the UCSD Faculty Club, will feature an opening keynote address by Anthony Principi, Secretary of Veteran's Affairs for the Bush Administration.
"San Diego has deep, extensive, and longstanding ties to military institutions," said Abe Shragge, a UCSD historian and director of the SDRSN. "Not surprisingly, San Diego developed a civic culture along the way that was and remains strongly favorable to all aspects of the U.S. armed services and American military activities. Examining the complex role of the military in San Diego is therefore essential to understanding San Diego's civic identity in terms of its past, present, and future."

According to Shragge, San Diego has the highest per-capita ratio of veterans among the population of any county in the U.S. Yet, the extent to which active-duty military personnel and veterans have shaped the culture and economy of the region, as well as its industries and institutions, are topics that have received scant academic attention.

The Oct. 12 conference will include a welcome address by UCSD Chancellor Robert Dynes as well as a keynote address on "Fortress San Diego" by historian Roger Lotchin, a professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The conference will feature several panel discussions that will include a wide cross-section of participants-academics, veterans, representatives of veteran's organizations, and local industry. Topics will include ethnic and demographic diversity among San Diego's veterans, San Diego's veteran's organizations, and veterans' many contributions to the San Diego region.

Members of the public are invited to attend the conference but seating is limited. The cost to attend the conference is $25, which includes lunch. For more information and/or to make reservations for "San Diego's Veteran's: Understanding Their Critical Role in the Life of the Region," please contact Edie Munk at (858) 822-0510 or emunk@ucsd.edu For more information about the San Diego Regional Studies Network of the UCSD Civic Collaborative, please visit our web site:
http://ucsd-civic-collaborative.org