Ralph Sleiman knows the futility of violence firsthand. When he was growing up, his house was destroyed four times by artillery fire, several members of his family were injured in fighting, and one cousin "disappeared," a euphemism for a political kidnap-execution. The 22-year-old Lebanese Muslim who received a master's degree from the University of Notre Dame in May 1997 is precisely the type of student Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, then N.D. president, had in mind when the University established the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies 11 years ago.
Father Hesburgh's vision was to gather students from around the world — especially from conflict areas — to educate them idealistically yet realistically in the theory and practice of peacemaking. "If we could keep it up for a generation," he mused, "we could create a small army of people dedicated to peace and justice."
Now entering its second decade, the Joan B. Kroc Institute — named for its chief benefactress, the widow of Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain — has trained its first regiment in that army. Since 1986, more than 230 students from 55 countries have received master's degrees in peace studies. Another 150 students have completed the 15 credit-hour undergraduate concentration in peace studies.
"We now have the beginnings of an international network of [Kroc Institute-trained] people assuming leadership roles in government, nongovernmental humanitarian agencies and academia," notes Raimo Vayrynen, Regan Director of the Kroc Institute. For example, Mohamed Fattah, a 1992 graduate, is a member of Egypt's UN delegation; Irene Perurena, a 1989 graduate, is advisor for human rights to the president of Panama; and Alejandro Ferreiro, a 1989 graduate, is executive secretary of Chile's National Commission of Public Ethics.
Under the leadership of founding director John J. Gilligan, former governor of Ohio, the University's various peace studies offerings were expanded and organized into a master's program in 1986. The curriculum, which exposes students to policymakers as well as scholars, explores the causes and dynamics of conflict, methods of resolving disputes, the ethics of international relations and global economic and environmental concerns. Each year, 14 master's students — about half those in the program — live together in Peace House, a wing of Columba Hall. Students share ethnic meals, attend special lectures and programs together, and participate in weekly community meetings. Of the living arrangements students are warned, "Conflicts will be inevitable, but so will opportunities for conflict resolution."
Another special feature of the curriculum is a Peace Labs course, for which students write a joint statement offering recommendations for solving a world peace problem. The course, required for all those living in Peace House, is designed to hone conflict resolution and cross-cultural communication skills.
In addition to training future peace leaders, some 30 Notre Dame faculty members serving as Kroc fellows and eight visiting fellows conduct research on international institutions, cooperative security, conflict resolution, humanitarian issues and the ethics of war and peace.
Their work has been sought out by policymakers and has had an impact on decisions. This fall, Professor George Lopez and Visiting Kroc Fellow David Cortright briefed several U.N. agencies on the humanitarian implications of economic sanctions. Another recent study by Väyrynen, Patrick Gaffney, CSC, and former visiting fellows William Demars and Janie Leatherman has led Catholic Relief Services to revise its training guidelines for field personnel. The study on conflict early warning and prevention examines cultural elements that fuel violence.
"If the world is to become less violent, it will take committed people with imaginative ideas," Väyrnen says. "The Kroc Institute hopes to wage peace with both."