Heravi Peace Institute News

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.

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.

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.

New faculty, peace murals, and the next class of change-makers. See what the Heravi Peace Institute students and faculty have been up to!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a HPI student? Take a look into what a peacebuilding journey can encompass with HPI senior, Emma Newby.

Check out two incredible experiential learning opportunities coming up with the HPI!

On March 20, 2024 the Heravi Peace Institute students, faculty, and staff joined together in a moment of community and celebration at their first-ever “Breaking Bread Banquet.”

In a world full of chaos and conflict, the Heravi Peace Institute aims to provide the Utah State University community with a bit of hope and belonging. Their latest efforts created a "Peace Tree," a place where anyone can add their messages of peace.

Give peace a chance? Utah State University students now have a chance to consider what conflict transformation and peacebuilding might look like in our world through a new introductory course.

Students and faculty of the Heravi Peace Institute are involved in peace-related efforts in and out of the classroom. See what the HPI community has been up to!

Students of the Heravi Peace Institute and USU Japanese Program ventured to Delta, Utah where they learned about the history of the Topaz Internment Camp.

If you only had one lecture left to give, what would your message be? For HPI Interim Director, Colin Flint, the final call to action would be to "Dare to build global peace." Read more of his thoughts and learn how you can be a global peacebuilder.

What does it take to create peace? Four USU faculty have shown that the process starts with you. Learn how the Heravi Peace Institute at Utah State University came to life.

What starts in the classroom doesn't stay there. Students and alumni of the Heravi Peace Institute take the skills and knowledge they gain into their careers and communities. From nonprofit organizations to global training and consulting firms, HPI alumni...

Students and faculty of the Heravi Peace Institute are involved in peace-related efforts in and out of the classroom. See what the HPI community has been up to!

The Heravi Peace Institute at Utah State University prepares students to enter the workforce already adept at cultural peacebuilding, conflict management, nonprofit work, and the power to create intentional relationships and enact change in their communit...

The Heravi Peace Institute bears the name and legacy of Mehdi Heravi, a USU alumnus and advocate for peace. Learn more about Heravi and why USU's peace institute is a fitting tribute.