Manhattan ? Kansas State University has scheduled a symposium this week to mark the 150th anniversary of Fort Riley.

Some of the seminars taking place Thursday and Friday will cover the transition between horse-mounted cavalry and motorized vehicles at the post, the role of women on the frontier plains and the legacy of professional military education in the Army.

“It should be just fascinating for people who have served or been stationed at Fort Riley over the years,” said Bruce Kent, director of special projects for KSU. “We think Kansas should be interested in this great history. We want to do everything we can to give people recognition on how important the fort is.”

Fort Riley today has about 10,000 soldiers, and the post covers 100,000 acres, more than four times its original size. The military spent $689 million at the post during fiscal 2002.

The symposium will feature presentations by scholars and experts on local and Kansas history. It also will include a panel of eight former commanding generals of the post. All presentations will be in the Little Theatre at the KSU student union.

In 2000, KSU formed the Institute for Military History and 20th Century Studies in collaboration with the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene and the U.S. Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth. The institute was formed for supporting and furthering military history. It offers a doctorate degree in the subject.

“We thought that if we’re writing about military history, why not do something on the (base) closest to us? It seemed like a great occasion,” said Charles Reagan, associate to the president of KSU.

Each of the eight generals appearing during the panel discussion will speak on what was going on in the world at the time of his command, Reagan said. The remaining seminar speakers will present papers that are to be published in book form, said Bill McKale, the fort’s historian.