Events & Happenings
Peacebuilding & Transformative Conflict club members held a discussion on peace with Interim Direector, Colin Flint.
A Light On the Hill
Every August, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences puts on a welcome event called “A Light on the Hill.” Students come to learn about departments, clubs, and programs and to celebrate the upcoming academic year. This year, the HPI had a booth that offered students general information about the institute and encouraged them to get involved. The event brought much excitement for building the HPI community!
Peacebuilding & Transformative Conflict Club
The Peacebuilding and Transformative Conflict club continued to hold meetings this semester. Activities included a discussion about peace with Dr. Collin Flint and the International Studies club, a Veteran's Day service project, and a community building hike that allowed club members to get to know one another and practice mindfulness in nature!
A Semester of Skill-Building
This semester, the HPI began a series of workshops dedicated to strengthening students’ peace skills and exposing them to career opportunities in peace-related fields. Guest speakers with ties to mediation, community resource and economic development, national security, and diplomacy visited with students, providing a variety of lively discussions. For example, students had the privilege of hearing from CHaSS alumni Nate Alder, whose work in professisonal mediation demonstrates the importance of peacebuilding skills in the workplace.
A Visit From North Dakota
The USU Pre-Law program and HPI hosted Dean Brian Pappas of the University of North Dakota for a discussion on “How to Maximize Persuasiveness.” Dean Pappas has a strong background in organizational development, collaboration, conflict management, and high-impact experiential learning, and is a frequent mediator and trainer. Pappas shared that the key to persuasiveness is effective listening. He gave valuable insights on how to help others feel heard, and the importance of empathetic listening in mediation and negotiation.
Civil Discourse Event
What is the role of peace in politics? Is there a future for civil discourse? The Center for Community Engagement and the HPI co-sponsored an event on October 18th that discussed these pressing questions. In this workshop, Dan Johnson (Utah House District 3 Republican Representative) and Patrick Belmont (Utah House District 3 Democratic Candidate) shared their personal experience engaging in respectful discussion of issues to find mutual understanding and make informed decisions for the greater good.
Israel and Gaza Discussion
In light of recent events in Israel and Gaza, the HPI, Middle East Studies minor, Political Science department, and others have sought to foster informed, meaningful conversation about the ongoing conflict and its effects. On October 16th, the HPI and Middle East Studies minor hosted a discussion with Professor Matthew Buehler of the University of Tennessee and several others regarding the context, immediate impact, and future implications of Hamas’ attack on October 7th. HPI Board member Austin Knuppe also participated in a Q&A session to provide context and understanding to the university community, which can be read here. Several other events, interviews, and information sessions have continued this conversation on campus.
“The mission and purpose of the Heravi Peace Institute (HPI) is to promote direct, structural, and cultural peace through a four-fold approach involving teaching, research, praxis, and public outreach. The Heravi Peace Institute recognizes that peace is not the absence of conflict; peace is an enduring commitment to nonviolence and human flourishing that comes with a complex and nuanced understanding of how peace and conflict function in our world. We build peace through the proactive implementation of attitudes, skills, structures, and institutions that practice nonviolent collaboration and conflict transformation at the personal, interpersonal, family, community, inter-group, national, and international levels.” – HPI Mission Statement
HPI Hits the Road
On October 28th, the USU Japanese Program and the Heravi Peace Institute ventured out on the HPI's first-ever field trip! The group explored stories of injustice, conflict, peace, and humanity at the Topaz Internment Camp site and museum. Read more about the trip and the students' experiences here.
Experiential Opportunity Fair
On November 9th, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences held an Experiential Opportunity Fair to increase awareness of the variety of domestic and international experiential opportunities available to CHaSS students. In order to increase access to invaluable and life-changing experiential opportunities, CHaSS now offers the Heravi Peace Scholarship (HPS), which provides funding to students who are working towards one of the five HPI certificates. The fair also introduced students to a variety of experiential learning opportunities that can broaden their learning and provide real-world experiences during their studies.
You can find a list of experiential programs that qualify for the Heravi Peace Scholarship here.