Welcome to the Peace and Justice SIG Website

Welcome to the Peace and Justice website.  This Special Interest Group (SIG) of NAFSA (Association of International Educators) formed in 2005 to “promote global understanding and foster good relationships that in time will contribute significantly to ending conflict, international aggression and to uphold the ideals of peace and global justice.”  Simply stated, there is work to be done!  As the original draft petition for this group stated, “By connecting international education with peace and global justice, we will be taking a step in the right direction.”

Our annual meeting was held at the NAFSA Conference on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 3:00 - 4:15 pm in Meeting Room 15 of the Washington Renaissance hotel in Washington, D.C.

The guest speaker was Ms. Barbara Wien, Co-Director of Peace Brigades International.
Ms. Wien presented, "Building a New Global Civil Culture:
The Role Of Non-Violent Movements".

To learn more about the issues that were discussed please see the Peace & Justice SIG meeting agenda and review the Nafsa annual Peace and Justice SIG minutes.

When outgoing P & J Chair, Thomas V. Millington, asked me to assume this leadership role, I told him that I would be looking to focus the P & J SIG on three main areas of concern.  Hopefully the membership will wish to self-identify with one of these three areas of interest and activism.

Educator Diplomacy Initiative (EDI)

Peace and Justice is our job.  Modeled after the Citizen Diplomacy movement of the 1980’s, the Peace & Justice SIG is an appropriate springboard for launching this initiative throughout NAFSA and the world beyond.  International educators need to expand their informed and influential roles as bridge builders and peacemakers at their universities as well as in their interactions on the international stage while listening and learning with a humble heart the needs and concerns of their colleagues across the planet.   International diplomacy and conflict resolution is too important to be left solely to the politicians.  

Affordable Training Initiative (ATI)

Peace & Justice begins at home.  Too many of our colleagues at small colleges, community colleges and historically black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) have great difficulty in attending conferences and programs to advance their professional training.  To that end, the Peace & Justice SIG can advocate for opportunities for these significant but often overlooked segments of our membership.   Alternative housing (motels, host families and university residence halls) should be explored to lower conference costs as well as an expansion of NAFSA regional and national travel grants and conference fee waivers.  A more active program of providing site training opportunities at state conferences as well as targeted institutions of higher learning should be considered.

Responsible Investing Initiative (RII)

Peace & Justice pays.  At both the national level, and at the regional level, NAFSA should be putting its money where its well-positioned mouth is.  That is to say, in investments that do not promote war or pollute the environment.  We should be advocates at the national level and in our regions for getting this done.