Professors Scott Meyer and Leo Sandy joined together with a group of PSU faculty, staff and students, in hopes to increase peace education.
According to an article in the Academic Leader by professors Meyer and Sandy, the group operates off the eight core goals set forth by the 1999 United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. This declaration called for a renewed sense of responsibility to be kindled in all people to further the cause of peace.
According to the article, these goals place a high expectation on “the role of higher education in promoting a culture of peace.” They champion the rights of all humans, equality, understanding, security and tolerance as well as “the free flow of information and knowledge.” Sandy adds that “[their] goal is to have every university in the world promote a culture of peace one institution at a time.”
A survey of Plymouth faculty showed varying degrees of support for suggested methods of implementing and achieving these goals. The highest percentage of support, 86.9 percent of all those surveyed, was given to the suggestion that courses should commit more time to human rights.
Taking into account this level of support, Sandy and Meyer say that the integration of the idea of “a culture of peace” has been added to several courses. One of the most notable additions is the general education Building a Civil Society course. “This course focuses on the role of the individual in creating a civil society leading toward the advancement of peace, human rights and democracy,” Say Meyer and Sandy.
Though the degree of support was high, Meyer and Sandy found that financial issues played into the faculty responses. Adding a social justice major and creating a “center for conflict resolution” ranked the lowest level of support amongst those surveyed, in part due to the financial considerations.
A group of faculty, staff, students and community representatives have been working on ideas that will allow them to spread their message. Sandy says that these ideas include “expanding off-campus contacts… developing peace internships, establishing an annual conference on war and peace, writing grants to fund peace programs… providing peace scholarships… having symbolic representation of a culture of peace on campus, adding wording regarding a culture of peace to the mission statement and having students sign a peace pledge at convocation.”
Currently, the group is working with the diversity task force and campus ministry to create a peace garden, “You should expect to see us co-sponsoring peace and justice speakers and events, sending out surveys and working with other campus groups to find ways to advance a culture of peace on campus,” said Sandy. They also hope to attend a summit made up of professors from other New Hampshire universities and colleges.
“We welcome student participation,” adds Sandy, “We have students on our Culture of Peace Alliance and Culture of Peace Steering Committee. The more the better.”