University of Dayton Launches New Scholarships for International Students

The University of Dayton along with 57 other colleges nationwide has pledged to create new scholarships for international students to study in the U.S., as part of the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship program. Beginning in fall 2019, the Marianist university will offer two annual scholarships, that will cover at least half of the receiving student’s tuition. Christine DeLisio Kremer, director of international and graduate admission at UD, a university that was itself founded by immigrants, says the “The University of Dayton is proud to help launch this scholarship program as part of our commitment to the common good.” The scholarships will be renewable and will hopefully further the efforts of bringing about intercultural understanding among participating campuses. The university hopes that through this program, eligible international and refugee students will find support in their inclusive learning environment and see their path to a University of Dayton degree.

For more information regarding the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship at the University of Dayton, visit their website here.

 

The University of Dayton launches Graduate Certificate in Sustainability Studies

The University of Dayton is advancing the common good with the launch of a 12-hour graduate certificate in sustainability studies “for professionals with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent who are seeking additional sustainability training and education for their careers.” The launch of this certificate program reflects a growing desire and need to hire individuals who are orientated towards growing sustainable environments and communities. University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina explained how “this program will help expand students understanding of sustainability and how they can address environmental issues.”

The certificate has a range of benefits for students from a variety of fields including city planners, administrators, biologists, and various others. Rebecca Potter, sustainability studies program director, notes how “anyone completing this certificate will gain an advantage in securing a job within the growing fields of sustainable management, development, education, and outreach.”

For more information or to apply for the certificate program, click here.

University of Dayton Signs Climate Change Pledge

University of Dayton is doing their part to address the climate change. In November, University of Dayton President Eric Spina was among more than 150 leaders of Catholic universities, organizations and religious orders, including ACCU, who signed a letter urging President Donald Trump and Congress to reassert U.S. leadership in the global effort to address climate change.

The letter is from the Catholic Climate Covenant and ask for “funding the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.” Climate change has become on an increasing worldwide issue and catholic leaders across the world have affirmed climate change as a “moral issue that threatens core Catholic values, including the protection of human life, the promotion of human dignity, the advancement of the common good, the call to live in solidarity with future generations, and the care for God’s creation.” The University of Dayton, as a Catholic institution, holds firm these same values and have made these known by signing this important letter. In addition to taking this pledge, the University of Dayton was the first Catholic university in the nation to divest in fossil fuels and is a member of the U.N. Global Compact.

To read more about the University of Dayton’s efforts, view UD news.

Kudos to New Catholic Fair Trade Universities

Congratulations to Rockhurst University, University of Dayton, and St. John’s University for becoming Fair Trade Certified Universities during the past academic year!

Rockhurst University became the first Fair Trade University in Missouri in November. After years of hard work by the Rockhurst University Fair Trade Initiative raising awareness on campus, students are thrilled to be the first in the state. Gerald Moench, the University’s chief financial officer, commented that “it’s a reminder to our University community to always strive to move forward with ethics and our Jesuit commitment to social justice in mind.”

University of Dayton celebrated their designation as a Fair Trade University with a reception at the campus bookstore and a video documenting the event.

St. John’s University became a Fair Trade University in March. Executive vice president for Mission, Reverend Bernard M. Tracey, C.M., connects this resolution with University identity, saying “We are called as a Vincentian institution not only to respond to the needs of those marginalized in society, but to study, research and provide solutions to the root causes of poverty.”

To learn more on how your institution can become Fair Trade Certified, visit the Fair Trade Campaigns website.  To learn more about Fair Trade at ACCU institutions, visit our new webpage at www.accunet.org/FairTrade

Inclusion on Campus: Involve Alumni to Support Diversity Initiatives

Many graduates who have achieved success are looking to give back. The University of Dayton’s Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) offers an Alumni Engagement Program that connects alumni with current students who are of diverse backgrounds, helping boost student retention and persistence. The program cultivates opportunities for graduates to provide mentorship and other forms of support, while identifying students who would benefit from alumni guidance. Alumni provide support for current undergraduate students in a variety of ways such as as a resource to empower students in their major or field of interest, participating in ongoing programming through OMA, writing a letter of encouragement, or sponsoring a student’s textbooks through the Diverse Students Population fund.

Over the next few weeks, we will release short examples of diversity at Catholic institutions of higher education as part of a series called “Inclusion on Campus”.  Stay tuned to hear how Catholic institutions are promoting diversity as an expression of God’s grandeur!

University of Dayton Graduate Reflects on Study Abroad in Chile for National Migration Week

Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Tracy Kemme, an alumna of the University of Dayton, reflects on her experience in Chile while studying abroad as an undergraduate student for Global Sisters Report in honor of National Migration Week.

Thinking on her experience in Chile, she remembers “I got a taste of the beautiful diversity of the people of God. Our world is much bigger than I could have imagined growing up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, where most people looked, talked and thought like me. Over plates of arroz con pollo in sweltering little houses, the “poor” of Latin America catechized me. In building cross-cultural relationships, I’ve witnessed and felt the splendor of a mutual exchange of cultural goodness. My mind has been opened through honest conversations about the shadow side of cultures, including, and especially, my own. Perhaps most significantly, my experiences of being the “stranger” have made me a more compassionate “welcomer.”

Kemme encourages all readers to have experiences where they become a “stranger” by traveling to new places or neighborhoods to live the theme of this year’s National Migration Week, Creating a Culture of Encounter.

Read the full article here.

University of Dayton Celebrates Fair Trade Designation

Last month, the University of Dayton celebrated their designation as a fair trade university with an event at the university bookstore. Fair Trade Campaigns recognizes towns, colleges, universities, schools and congregations nationwide for  embedding fair trade practices and principles into policy.

The university signed a resolution over the summer agreeing to fair trade practices, stating: “The University, as a large-scale employer and consumer and leader in international education, fully endorses the national community’s call to ‘Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all’ and to ‘Ensure sustainable consumption and productive patterns’ as evidenced by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8 and 12) and sees supporting fair, ethical, and sustainable sourcing as an effective way to put these principles into practice.” In addition to the resolution, University of Dayton also offers fair trade products in each outlet on campus, sustains a group working on implementing fair trade strategies, serves fair trade products at University events, and commits to a fair trade education.

As University of Dayton Provost Paul Benson states “This aligns our practices with our Catholic, Marianist principles, and affirms our dedication to deepening these practices.” Watch the video celebrating the designation here.

Catholic Colleges Make List of US Eco-friendly Schools

Wondering how your campus measures up in sustainability and energy conservation? Perhaps your school was one of the eleven Catholic colleges and universities featured in a recent Sierra Club ranking of the top ‘cool schools’!

To determine the rankings, the Sierra Club administered a survey to a wide range of higher education institutions in the U.S. The responding schools were then ranked according to a long list of criteria, including co-curricular activities, energy, investments, innovation, academics, and more:

Depending on their responses to the questionnaire, schools were then given a score in a 1000 point system and ranked accordingly. The eleven Catholic colleges ranked included:

1. Santa Clara University (no. 50)
2. University of San Diego (no. 69)
3. Loyola Marymount University (no. 81)
4. Aquinas College (no. 95)
5. St. Louis University ( no. 100)
6. St. John’s University (NY) (no. 102)
7. Gonzaga University (no. 109)
8. Villanova University  (no. 110)
9. University of Dayton (no. 127)
10. Creighton University (no. 138)
11. Saint John’s University (MN) (no. 146)

Based on the criteria for the rankings, these eleven schools are officially ‘cool schools’! The Sierra Club reminds us that it is both important to celebrate success but remember that there is more work to be done:

“Our results  suggest that while many universities are making admirable progress, no school has yet attained complete sustainability. In 2015, the top-rated university scored 859.75 out of a possible 1,000 points, indicating much work completed but also room for improvement.”

Want to learn more?  A recent National Catholic Reporter article featured some such progress at the Catholic colleges and universities on the list.

What is your campus doing to promote sustainability and environmental justice? Let us know!

Catholic Higher Education Programs on Peace and Justice

Did you know that a number of Catholic higher education institutions feature degree programs focused on peacebuilding and peace studies? If you’re interested in an academic approach to social issues, then take a look at what various Catholic colleges and universities have to offer you!

Boston College (Certificate)​

Boston College’s Center for Human Rights and International Justice addresses the increasingly interdisciplinary needs of human rights work with students from graduate and professional programs across the university. The Center offers an interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Human Rights and International Justice, with students drawn from MA and PhD programs in sociology, psychology, political science, economics, philosophy, and theology, and from post-graduate professional programs in education, law, social work, and others. Through multidisciplinary training programs, applied research, and the interaction of scholars with practitioners, the Center aims to nurture a new generation of scholars and practitioners in the United States and abroad who draw upon the strengths of many disciplines, and the wisdom of rigorous ethical training, in the attainment of human rights and international justice.

 

The Catholic University of America (​M.A., Ph.D.)

The Center for Social Development offers a program in conjunction with the Religion and Culture academic area emphasizing analysis of the ways that religious expressions have transformed cultures and have been transformed by them.  Both the M.A. and Ph.D. are offered.  The area’s programs utilize the methods of the social sciences and humanities in the study of religion, emphasizing the human and cultural dimensions of religious life. These methods may include anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary theory, history, phenomenology, ritual studies, and others.

Emmanuel College​ (B.A. majors, minor)​

The Political Science and International Studies department offers several majors designed to prepare students for work and life in an increasingly inter-connected world. International Studies provides a broad-based foundation in world history, culture, politics, and economics. The major is well-suited to students interested in a career in such rapidly growing sectors as international business, law, media, and governmental and non-governmental organizations concerned with diplomacy, policy making, public health, peace, relief operations, immigration, and the environment. Concentrations within the major include diplomacy & security and sustainability & global justice. An interdisciplinary Peace Studies minor, drawing on theology, philosophy, sociology, history, and political science, is also offered.

Georgetown University​ (B.A. certificate, M.A.)​

The two-year M.A. in Conflict Resolution is an intensive, theoretically- and practically-oriented, multidisciplinary degree. It is housed in the Government Department, with core courses offered also in the Department of Psychology and the McDonough School of Business.  Elective courses may be selected from departments across campus, including courses in dispute resolution offered at the Georgetown University Law Center.  Students can also participate in activities of the Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Georgetown also has an undergraduate Program on Justice and Peace, with a suggested concentration in Catholic Social Teaching. The School of Foreign Service in collaboration with the Berkeley Center now offers the Religion, Ethics, and World Affairs certificate program in which undergraduate students can explore the faith-related dimension of global issues.

Marquette University (B.A. major, minors)​

Marquette offers an interdisciplinary major in peace studies and minors in peace studies and in justice and peace.  Courses focusing on conceptualizing justice and peace, bridging social communities, promoting social and economic justice, and resolving violent conflict.

University of Dayton (B.A. major)​

Through the International Studies major, a Peace and Global Security concentration is offered at the undergraduate level. International Studies is a multidisciplinary major designed to meet the needs of students seeking the broadly based international perspective required for successful careers in education, government, international business, law, national and homeland security, humanitarian relief, and social entrepreneurship. The curriculum includes a core of required courses, a concentration, a foreign language requirement, an international and/or cross-cultural experiential component, and a senior capstone seminar. The experiential component may be satisfied through study abroad, internship, language immersion, service, or work experience.

University of Notre Dame (Fellowship; ​B.A. major, minor; M.A.; Ph.D.)​

Beginning in Fall 2017, Notre Dame’s new Keough School of Global Affairs will offer International Peace Studies as an important feature of the new Master’s in Global Affairs.The Kroc Institute’s Ph.D. program trains scholars in interdisciplinary peace research and history, political science, psychology, sociology or theology.  Students apply for admission in one of these five areas.  Graduates are prepared for research and teaching positions that contribute to solving the global challenges of violent conflict and peace.The Kroc Institute also has an undergraduate program in peace studies, and the University of Notre Dame has a program in Catholic Social Tradition.

University of San Diego (B.A. minor, one- and two-year M.A. programs)​

The Master of Arts in Peace and Justice Studies is an interdisciplinary program emphasizing peace as human development. The goals of the program are: 1) to produce graduates who are capable of relating disciplinary and cross-disciplinary theories of peace and justice to real world problem-solving involving regional and international conflict; 2) to foster scholarly agendas that examine the dynamics of justice and peacebuilding; and, 3) to facilitate faculty and student interaction and development across disciplines and academic units at USD, along with outreach to the community and the larger society. The Program takes full advantage of the School of Peace Studies’ two institutes: the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice and the Trans-Border Institute.  USD also has an undergraduate minor in peace and justice.

University of St. Thomas (MN) (B.A. major, minor)​

The Justice and Peace Studies major offers a revised curriculum with three concentrations, offering skill sets for a variety of career tracks, and a minor, which has been revised as well.  The three concentrations are Leadership for Social Justice, Conflict Transformation, and Public Policy Analysis & Advocacy.

Does your college or university offer a program on peace and justice? Let us know! 

University of Dayton Featured in Arabella Advisors Report for Climate Change Initiatives

In a recent Arabella Advisors report, Assets in Action: How Catholic Institutions Are Using Their Investments to Counter Climate Change, the University of Dayton was featured as an exemplar institution for philanthropy and social responsibility. Along with the Franciscan Sisters of Mary and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, the university was uplifted for “teaching important lessons by aligning its portfolio with its values”.

The University of Dayton’s story is outlined as one of a deliberate and strong effort to stay true to its Catholic mission and identity. In June 2014, the university decided to apply this principle to their sustainability policy and divested from coal and other fossil fuels.  Interim provost Paul Benson states, “Our decisions have always been couched in our Catholic values, and having a long history of adhering to our mission allowed us to make a bold decision to divest.”

Benson says that the board of directors at the university recognize that the divestment has the potential to adversely affect their financial performance. That did not stop them from divesting. In fact, “it brought together students, board members, our president, and other groups to learn and collaborate.” The decision also sparked increased academic involvement on the issue of climate change and sustainability. A group of undergraduate finance students now manages a portion of the university’s endowment through “a divestment lens”, the establishment of the Hanley Sustainability Institute, a minor in sustainability, energy and environment, and much more.

Included in their efforts to continue educating the university community on and advocating for sustainability initiatives, the university will hold a conference very much inspired by Laudato Si. The “Divest/Invest” Conference will take place November 5-7 on the university’s River Campus. It will feature panel discussions on subjects such as the theological and ethical reasoning behind divestment, ecumenical coalitions for institutional responses to climate change and energy access, and many more. Visit the event webpage for more information.