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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Sources: Nick Lovelace and Matt Battiston
Photos available. Contact media@k-state.edu
News release prepared by:  Cheryl May, 785-532-6415, may@k-state.edu

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

K-STATE POLITICAL SCIENCE GRADS USING THEIR SKILLS IN FOREIGN SERVICE

MANHATTAN -- Two Kansas State University graduates are using knowledge they picked up in Kansas to make a difference in Africa.

Lt. Col. Nicolas J. Lovelace and Maj. Matt Battiston are both career Army officers. Lovelace is U.S. Army defense attaché with the U.S. Embassy in N'Djamena, Chad. Battiston is U.S. Army attaché and C-12 pilot based in Accra, Ghana.

"Matt Battiston and his co-pilot flew the C-12 from Accra, Ghana, to N'Djamena, Chad, last month to provide support to the U.S. Embassy and the Defense Attache Office as they closely monitor the situation in Chad's eastern border and Darfur," Lovelace said.  "Then Maj. Battiston and I flew to Bangui, the capitol of the Central African Republic, where I am accredited as defense attaché."

Both Lovelace and Battiston are graduates of K-State's master's program in political science. They attended K-State as part of the Army's foreign area officer program and are now serving as sub-Saharan Africa foreign area officers in Africa. K-State is officially recognized by the foreign area officer branch of the U.S. government as an "FAO-approved university."

"The master's degree in political science with the international service certificate is designed to prepare students for employment in international organizations, international non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies dealing with international affairs," said Jeffrey Pickering, associate professor of political science and director of the master's program.

"Recent graduates work for the World Health Organization in Ukraine, Oxfam in Azerbaijan, the International Organization for Migration in Turkmenistan, the Spanish Embassy in Venezuela, and various U.S. governmental agencies," Pickering said.

Graduates are required to complete 42 hours focusing on international service and have competency in at least one foreign language.

"My duty is the Army attaché in Ghana," Battiston said, "but I am also the C-12 instructor pilot on station. The plane supports 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and I have been fortunate to fly the plane to 23 of the countries in my first 20 months on station."

Battiston joined the Army in 1985 as an artilleryman, and served for five years total active and National Guard before becoming a lieutenant in 1990. He has served in Korea, Bosnia, Cameroon, in West Germany during the Cold War as well as various stateside postings.

Lovelace, Roeland Park, Kan., graduated from K-State in 2001 with a master's in political science and an international service certificate. He is a 1984 graduate of Zweibruecken American High School in Germany. His wife, the former Cristin Warlop, a K-State graduate in elementary education, is from Roeland Park.  He is the son of Bill Lovelace, a retired chief warrant officer 4, who lives in Navarre Beach, Fla.

Battiston graduated from K-State in 2004 with a master's in political science and an international service certificate. Battiston, of Windermere, Fla., was born in Fontana, Calif., and grew up in New Castle, Pa. He is a 2005 graduate of Laurel High School. As an undergraduate he studied at Valley Forge Military College and the University of Notre Dame. His parents are Al and Mary Ann Battiston, Orlando, Fla.

"I remain grateful to K-State for accepting me into the master's program," Lovelace said. "K-State is engaged on many fronts and the program could be of interest to future or current military officers."