Heravi Peace Institute News

Peacebuilding often asks how societies can move forward after violence.

Peacebuilding often asks how societies can move forward after violence.

Emma Davis is the Chair of the Student Board at the Heravi Peace Institute for the 2026-27 academic year.

This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the Heravi Peace Institute’s study abroad program in Armenia. The trip focused on the theme, “Crossroads of Culture: Genocide and Reconciliation,” more specifically the Armenian Genocide and the lasting impacts...

I have been studying and teaching about war and peace for many decades, from my time as an undergraduate at Harvard University and a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, to my work as a professor at Cornell University, George Washington ...

As Aggies, we have a unique opportunity to model what it means to engage across differences with both humility and evidence. This isn't just a "soft skill" but a civic necessity.

This March, students Emma Martins and Kai Li Tullis, accompanied by HPI staff members Bailee Fox and Nora Tavana, participated in a five-day visit to Washington, D.C. During the trip, the group engaged with young peacebuilders actively working and conduct...

HPI’s student Janneke Remick writes about her visit to the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at University of Notre Dame for the Student Peace Conference 2026

Curtis Howe is a recent Alum at Utah State University. He studied religious history in the Department of History, Philosophy and Ideas. He holds a degree in Religious Studies as well as an interfaith Leadership Certificate. He is a Transformational Mediat...

James Baldwin was an American writer and social critic known for addressing human relationship and identity. He had a profound ability to put words to things most people feel but struggle to articulate. He wrote that “love has a way of removing the masks ...

The Heravi Peace Institute is thrilled to welcome Professor Laura Black as the newest member of our Core Faculty!

Utah State University has committed to collaborating across differences by signing onto the Utah Cooperation Cohort, a statewide initiative focused on fostering collaboration and cooperation across differences on campus.

The Heravi Peace Institute is delighted to welcome Danya Rumore, PhD, as an incoming associate professor of practice. Dr. Rumore is an expert in environmental and public policy conflict resolution, collaborative decision-making, and stakeholder engagement...

Utah State University will welcome the Environmental Dispute Resolution Program to campus July 1, expanding opportunities for students and professionals seeking advanced training in collaboration, conflict resolution and public engagement related to envir...

A group of students from Utah State University has arrived in Kenya for a three-week academic programme on peace and crisis communication, conducted in partnership with Murang’a University of Technology.

On March 18, Breaking Bread Together – Fast-a-Thon Interfaith Iftar brought together approximately 180 participants for an evening of reflection, dialogue, and shared values, organized under the leadership of Utah State University.

James Patton, Peace Corps and USAID veteran, former CEO of the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy, founding partner of Lead Integrity Consulting and lifetime member of the Council of Foreign Relations, joins the Department of History, Cultures ...

The Heravi Peace Institute and Department of History, Cultures & Ideas are pleased to highlight James Patton, Associate Professor of Professional Practice in the Religious Studies Program.

This year, the Heravi Peace Institute has partnered with Utah Dispute Resolution and Governor Cox’s Disagree Better Initiative by Utah Governor Spencer Cox to create a Transformative Mediation Certificate open to students and community members. Led and ta...

Meeting Sveto Mohammad Ishoq at Utah State University.

Bailee Fox is the new Staff Assistant at the Heravi Peace Institute. Her background includes experience in program coordination, peace and conflict education, and administrative support across both community-based and academic settings.

Can one teach character? Resilience? Courage? A series of workshops at Utah State University will center on higher education’s role in preparing students for life in a rapidly changing world.

The Heravi Peace Institute and Utah State University’s Department of Political Science are delighted to welcome Dr. Lady Ajayi, a scholar-practitioner whose work bridges international relations, gender, and peacebuilding.

This semester, USU had the honor of hosting 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Leymah Gbowee for a discussion titled, “How to End a War,” moderated by The Heravi Peace Institute’s very own professor Patrick Mason. Earlier that day, I was among a select group o...

In Belgrade, the walls still bear the scars of war. Bullet holes marking stories that were never fully told. In Srebrenica, more than 8,000 names of murdered Bosniak men and boys are carved into marble.

Utah State University Blanding hosted the second annual Weaving Our Stories Conference on Sept. 23-25.

Utah State University’s Heravi Peace Institute has announced a new partnership with Utah Dispute Resolution and Disagree Better to expand Utah’s statewide capacity for constructive conflict engagement through transformative mediation.

How should our campus community respond to controversial speakers? This question was at the forefront of a lively, informative and civil discussion on the campus of Utah State University on Sept. 24.

In an effort to educate our community on First Amendment protections, we offer the following answers to frequently asked questions.

The Program on Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University has awarded Utah State University $747,310 Institutional Impact Grant through the Educating Character Initiative (ECI), supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. The funding will help advance the H...

Amanda Ford is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with extensive experience in mental health counseling and therapeutic practices. She is currently an adjunct professor in the Social Work Department at Utah State University (USU).

Landri LaJeunesse Writes About Her Semester Abroad with Heravi Peace Institute. Three months ago, I traveled to Vietnam with a group of Utah State University students and professors on a program to study conflict, history, and reconciliation firsthand. Fo...

In April, Utah State University alumni, students, faculty and staff representing the Heravi Peace Institute traveled to Uzbekistan to attend the Diplomacy of the Heart Conference, an international gathering dedicated to intercultural understanding and pea...

Austin Knuppe is the Director of Heravi Peace Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Utah State University. Prior to USU, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmout...

Last month, Utah State University alumni, students, faculty and staff representing the Heravi Peace Institute traveled to Uzbekistan to attend the Diplomacy of the Heart Conference, an international gathering dedicated to intercultural understanding and p...

On March 19th the Heravi Peace Institute hosted its 2nd Annual Banquet to honor our latest certificate graduates, scholarship recipients, institutional achievements, and partnerships that have shaped the institute’s mission over the past year. Held at the...

Katlyn is a senior at USU, studying International Studies with a minor in Chinese. She is also completing the Global Peacebuilding Certificate and the Leadership and Diplomacy Certificate through the Heravi Peace Institute (HPI). Katelyn was named the Col...

Austin Knuppe is an assistant professor of political science at Utah State University. Prior to Utah State, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College.

How do you try to find peace in a world that aims to erase your identity? Students at the Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City sought an answer to this question in the period between the 1950s and the 1980s by using art as a tool of subtle defiance...

In November 2024, the Heravi Peace Institute hosted two expert mediators at Utah State University as a way to inspire students to consider careers in conflict resolution. Dr. W. Craig Gilliam and Karrie Ketchum led engaging discussions about the transform...

Heravi Peace Institute is thrilled to welcome Professor Sidi Becar Meyara as the newest member of our faculty board!

HPI is thrilled to highlight Olivia Harper, a dynamic Utah State senior studying international studies, minoring in Spanish, and earning a Global Peacebuilding Certificate. A Heravi Scholarship Recipient and certificated in our Global Peacebuilding progra...

What does it mean to practice “dangerous love”? On Friday, Nov. 22, Utah State University’s Heravi Peace Institute hosted its first workshop on this topic, led by conflict resolution expert and Associate Professor Chad Ford.

Utah State University’s Heravi Peace Institute wants to talk about conflict. Specifically, the HPI wants to explore the ways in which people can transform relationships and conversations through mediation.

Nora Tavana is the new Program Coordinator at the Heravi Peace Institute. Originally from Tehran, Iran, Tavana has also lived in Toronto, Canada, and moved to California with her family over a decade ago.

International conflict mediator Chad Ford is embarking on his first semester as an associate professor of religious studies at Utah State University. Known for his work in conflict zones around the world, Ford has acted as a mediator and facilitator in t...

Dr. Darlene Grant, an award-winning educator and seasoned Peace Corps leader, delivered an inspiring talk to Utah State University (USU) students at the Merrill-Cazier Library this September.

At Utah State University and the Heravi Peace Institute, our mission is to foster global peacebuilding efforts by promoting dialogue, understanding, and collaborative problem-solving across diverse communities. We aim to equip our students with the tools ...

Utah State University’s Heravi Peace Institute has gained national recognition with the announcement of a $50,000 capacity building grant from the Educating Character Initiative (ECI), a new funding opportunity from the Program for Leadership and Characte...

Interim Director of the Heravi Peace Institute, Tammy Proctor, shares her thoughts on the institute's efforts in today's tumultuous world.