CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — American Military University (AMU), part of the American Public University System (APUS), is proud to announce that Dr. Kelly C. Jordan, Professor of Military and National Security Studies and Associate Chair of the Department of Security and Defense Studies, has been named the first-ever Consulting Scholar for Military Education of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS). This distinction recognizes two decades of leadership, service, scholarship, and advocacy on behalf of military schools and colleges across the nation.
Founded in 1914, AMCSUS serves as the leading national advocate for America’s military colleges, military junior colleges, military preparatory schools, and public military charter institutions, promoting the unique educational benefits of the military school model and supporting member institutions throughout the United States.
Dr. Jordan’s relationship with AMCSUS spans two decades and reflects a lifelong commitment to military education. His initial association was serving as leader of the Military School Commandants Group and as an ex officio member of the AMCSUS Executive Committee, where he worked closely with military school leaders to advance professional standards, support cadet development programs, and strengthen collaboration among member institutions.
In recent years, Dr. Jordan has emerged as one of the nation’s foremost scholars of American military education. His appointment as Consulting Scholar recognizes a growing body of work that has helped document, interpret, and preserve the history, philosophy, and contemporary relevance of military schools in the United States. He has authored more than ten publications and scholarly works for AMCSUS and has become widely recognized as a leading authority on the history and educational impact of American military schools.
“Military schools occupy a distinctive and important place in American education,” said Dr. Jordan. “For more than two centuries, these institutions have developed leaders of character while demonstrating that discipline, accountability, and service can work hand-in-hand with academic excellence. It has been my honor and privilege to contribute to the preservation and advancement of that tradition.”
Dr. Jordan’s expertise extends well beyond scholarship. He has served as a manuscript reviewer for academic and university presses considering publications related to military schools and military education. He has also been called upon as an expert witness in legal proceedings involving military school practices, structures, and traditions, further establishing his reputation as a trusted national authority in the field.
His appointment is rooted not only in academic research but also in a lifetime of personal and professional experience within military education.
A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Dr. Jordan graduated with academic distinction as a member of the top five percent of his class and was recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He holds an MA and PhD in Military History from The Ohio State University and is also a resident graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College.
Dr. Jordan completed a distinguished military career culminating at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, following assignments that included teaching, leadership development, and officer education. After serving more than two decades on active duty in the United States Army, he built an educational leadership career spanning every major sector of the military education community.
Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Jordan:
- Served on the faculty of the United States Military Academy at West Point, helping educate future Army officers.
- Served on the faculty of the US Army Command and General Staff College.
- Directed the Army ROTC program at the University of Notre Dame, leading the program during a period in which it was recognized among the nation’s premier ROTC programs.
- Selected as a Fleet Professor for the United States Naval War College, where he taught the institution’s renowned Strategy and Policy core course.
- Facilitated off-campus academic seminars and professional military education programs for the United States Army War College.
- Served as Commandant of Cadets at Culver Military Academy, widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier military secondary schools.
Today, at American Military University, Dr. Jordan continues to shape the next generation of military and national security professionals through teaching, curriculum innovation, graduate mentorship, and academic leadership. He has played a leading role in the development and modernization of AMU’s flagship legacy graduate program – the Military Studies MA program – and is widely respected for his contributions to military history, leadership studies, conflict studies, and national security education. Teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, he has made significant contributions to curriculum development, scholarly outreach, and Military Studies education.
This recognition reflects the grateful appreciation of AMCSUS for Dr. Jordan’s “shared belief in and passion for our [American] military education model,” along with a career dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in military education, wrote AMCSUS Executive Director Colonel Ray Rottman (USAF, ret.). Rottman also recognized Jordan for his scholarship, institutional leadership, and commitment to developing leaders that have influenced military schools, universities, and professional military education institutions across the nation.
As the first individual selected to serve as an AMCSUS Consulting Scholar for Military Education, Dr. Jordan is expected to continue supporting the association’s mission through research, historical preservation, strategic guidance, and scholarly engagement with military schools and colleges throughout the United States – challenges to which he looks forward eagerly.
Through this recognition, AMCSUS honors not only Dr. Jordan’s longstanding service to the organization, but also his enduring commitment to understanding, preserving, and advancing one of the most distinctive educational traditions in American history.
