Peace studies conference at Lander a success
Publ. Date: March 19, 2009
Office of University Relations and Publications
Lander University hosted its first annual Peace Studies Conference on Saturday, March 14. The conference, sponsored by the university and the Greenwood chapter of People to People International (PTPI), brought together Lander faculty to examine the subject of peace studies from historical, political and psychological perspectives.
Over 75 Lander students and faculty as well as some community members attended eight sessions on topics such as students' conceptions of peace, the making of modern Germany after World War II, the United Nations, problems of international cooperation, and events in Zimbabwe under the rule of Robert Mugabe.
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Among the Lander faculty, staff and students in attendance at the Peace Studies Conference were, front row, from left, history professor Kenneth Mufuka, Maggie Shook, Shialoh Wilson, Samantha Nyakunzu, and College of Business and Public Affairs dean Charles Stowe. Back row, from left, environmental science professor Daniel Pardieck, chemistry professor James Colbert, political science professor Lucas McMillan, continuing education director Chris Newton and study abroad director DeWitt Stone. |
Lander faculty also gave talks about their own real-world experiences related to peace studies. Dr. Nancy Niles, assistant professor of business, discussed her time as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal. She worked in a rural village and lived in a mud hut for over two years. Niles also talked about her experience as a community grants specialist for the U.S. embassy during her last two years in West Africa. Dr. Charles Stowe, dean of Lander's College of Business and Public Affairs, discussed his role as the senior U.S. military representative to the Polish national security adviser in Warsaw. Stowe, who was in the U.S. Navy at the time, told stories about assisting Polish defense officials with their goal to join NATO in the early days of democratization in Eastern Europe.
Connie Edwards, president of the Greenwood chapter of People to People International, said the conference aimed to begin a conversation about peace studies and the work of PTPI in cultural, educational and humanitarian causes. On Saturday she provided an overview of PTPI's history since its 1956 founding by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Greenwood's PTPI chapter is the first in the Southeast and hopes to increase its involvement in the community after assisting with the event at Lander. PTPI currently has chapters in 134 nations.
People to People is focused on the exchange of ideas and experiences among people of different countries and diverse cultures. This aim is shared by Lander in its preparation of students for work in a globalized world, especially as the university tries to encourage students to study abroad.
Edwards presented PTPI pins to some of the students who will form the Lander chapter of PTPI. The conference also highlighted that the Greenwood chapter has established a "Peace Studies Scholarship" at Lander and is working toward endowing this fund. Proceeds from a PTPI dinner held at Orde's of England on February 15 have already been added to the fund.
This year's conference was co-chaired by Edwards and Dr. Lucas McMillan, assistant professor of political science at Lander. Planning is already under way for next year's conference, an event that hopes to expand connections within the community and local schools. The organizers hope that this will become an annual tradition for Lander and Greenwood.
