Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry will speak at Northwestern on May 31 at an event hosted by the Buffett Institute for Global Studies in recognition of Military Appreciation Month.

Titled “America and Its Military: Drifting Apart,” Eikenberry will discuss the challenges of an “all-volunteer force model” in the United States military and its political, economic and foreign policy impact.

Eikenberry was selected in November to become the first executive director of the Buffett Institute and was set to begin this September. Following concerns about his appointment voiced by students and faculty, Provost Dan Linzer announced in an email to Buffett Institute faculty last month that Eikenberry would no longer fill the position.

In a letter to The Daily in February, 46 faculty called for the University to rescind Eikenberry’s appointment, arguing that he was incompatible with the center’s “core mission of independent research.” In response, University President Morton Schapiro and Linzer wrote a letter to The Daily in support of Eikenberry. Buffett Institute directors also wrote a letter supporting Eikenberry’s appointment.

Faculty Senate passed a resolution backing Eikenberry’s appointment, and a resolution was introduced to Associated Student Government Senate calling for the University to rescind Eikenberry’s appointment, though senators never voted on the resolution after the email announced he would no longer fill the position.

Eikenberry served in the U.S. Army for 35 years and now works at Stanford University. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned master’s degrees from Stanford and Harvard University.

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