Jefferson Becomes a Partner With the Nobel Peace Center

Positive change happens when people act for the collective benefit of humanity and the planet. Now, students can learn firsthand how they can make a difference in their community and the world by practicing peace leadership. The Philadelphia University Honors Institute at Thomas Jefferson University recently earned a partnership with the Nobel Peace Center and the National Collegiate Honors Council called Partners in Peace.

Partners in Peace aims to raise awareness of the Nobel Peace Center and encourage college students to participate in projects to enact peaceful change. Partner institutions have a hand in creating, implementing and assessing honors-level curricular and co-curricular projects that highlight the work of scientist Alfred Nobel and Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

What Is Partners in Peace?
In 1895, Nobel signed his will, bequeathing his fortune to a fund awarded annually to people who have “conferred the greatest benefit to mankind” in five categories—one being champions of peace.

Since 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to individuals and organizations that advance peace by fostering fraternity among nations, reducing standing armies, promoting peace congresses and more. The Partners in Peace initiative encourages college students to explore the lives and achievements of peace laureates, fostering an understanding of the leadership strategies needed to build peaceful communities.

The program challenges students to “think globally, act locally” by applying insights from laureates to positively impact their campuses and communities.

How Did Jefferson Achieve This Honor?
Jefferson is among the inaugural cohort of 16 institutions participating in Partners in Peace. “It’s a great honor,” says Dr. Marcella McCoy-Deh, Philadelphia University Honors Institute director. “We were invited to apply based on the presentations I’ve given on Jefferson’s co-curricular honors Cornerstones requirement, which aligns with the program’s curricular learning goals.”

The Nobel Peace Center accepted Jefferson’s proposal because it demonstrated concerted thought and creativity and embraced the ideals of leadership development in civic engagement.

Now, Jefferson honors students will work to raise awareness of co-curricular and curricular programming about the Nobel Peace Prize. “We’re starting with a co-curricular module on campus to get students excited about the Nobel Peace Prize by providing background on Alfred Nobel’s will and highlighting this year’s winner,” Dr. McCoy-Deh says. “The students are already brainstorming marketing and social media campaign ideas to raise awareness about the partnership and our offerings.”

Pre-medical studies student Ehsan Elminabawy looks forward to promoting the mission of the Nobel Peace Center.

“I thought it would be an incredible opportunity to carry on the legacy of these leaders and raise awareness of their various significant issues,” she says. “I hope to gain a newfound perspective on the ability to create change in my community and help people learn more about Nobel Peace laureates.”

What Does It Mean for Students?
Students who participate in Partners in Peace can take steps to work on their own goals for promoting peace locally and globally. “We plan to have four to five meetings each semester,” Dr. McCoy-Deh says. “The Nobel Peace Center provides us with materials to help educate students about peace leadership around the world. And we will invite students to contribute to discussions about approaches to peace and how to promote peace in our communities.”

The final session of the co-curricular program will be a poster presentation, where students can highlight Nobel’s will, the work of recent Peace Prize winners and what peace leadership looks like for local communities. Dr. McCoy-Deh also encourages honors students to present their findings and ideas at the regional honors conference held each spring semester.

All undergraduate students can participate in Partners in Peace, and honors students can earn credit for co-curricular requirements.

Many students already have thoughts on the importance of peace leadership. “No matter what career path interests you or where you see yourself in the future, peace leadership will apply to us all,” says pre-medical studies student Derek Stuart. “I highly encourage every student to get involved in Partners in Peace to empower themselves as our future leaders.”

Photo/Chandler Michael Culotta