News

In order to commemorate the 2,977 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Social Sciences Department at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) is hosting a panel on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 3 p.m. in Commons Hall Auditorium. Panel speakers include Pittsburg State University (PSU) Professor Dr. Stephen Harmon, NEO Instructor Dr. Lesli Deichman, and former NEO Instructor Dr. Richard (Hank) Coiner. The trio will discuss the effects of 9/11 through the growth of religious radicalism, the psychological aftermath of the attack, and the constitutional impact from the attacks and the War on Terror. The panel is free and the community is encouraged to attend.

Dr. Steve Harmon is a professor of African and Middle-Eastern history at PSU, specializing in Islamic history and culture. Dr. Harmon is a two-time Fulbright scholar and has conducted extensive field research in Senegal and Mali. In 2014, Dr. Harmon released his book, Terrorism and Insurgency in the Sahara-Sahel Region: Corruption, Contraband, Jihad and the Mali War of 2012-2013. He has spoken at several international and national events, most recently at United Nations workshop in 2008 and the U.S. Department of Defense conference in 2015.

Dr. Lesli Deichman is a Psychology instructor at NEO. As a former trainer at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kan., she has extensive experience in forensic psychology and trauma counseling. Following the 9/11 attacks, Dr. Deichman was deployed as a member of the American Red Cross National Disaster Team to provide mental health and trauma counseling to survivors and victims’ families. Dr. Hank Coiner is a former attorney and NEO History instructor. A native of Miami, Dr. Coiner specialized in tax law before joining the NEO faculty. He served at NEO for twenty-two years teaching U.S. History, Humanities, and many other social science courses. He retired from NEO in 2013 and in 2015, he self-published a book on local history, A Dead Marshal, a Manless Wedding, and a Forgotten Baseball Team: Three Episodes in the History of Miami and Ottawa County, Oklahoma. For more information on the 9/11 commemoration panel, contact Ms. LaShawna Powers at lashawna.powers@neo.edu or 918-540-6347.