| History
The Peace Center was founded in 1994, as
a project of the Community for Peace Education (COPED)
at Penn State University. COPED consisted of an interdisciplinary
group of faculty members who offered a number of elective
courses in the field of peace studies.
The Peace Center was organized to deal more directly
in community programs in peace education. The Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends gave a $10,000
grant for start-up funding and the lending library.
Dorothy Habecker, an elementary school teacher, was
the major founder of the Center. She set up a library
of educational resources on conflict resolution, peace
education, mediation, and social and environmental
justice, with books, videos, pamphlets, periodicals
and curricular materials that were loaned out to teachers
in public and private schools, churches, and other
groups. For the first six or seven years, The State
College Presbyterian Church provided an office and
library space. The Peace Center published a bi-monthly
newsletter entitled FIVE MINUTES FOR PEACE for several
years.
Public
meetings have been held or co-sponsored in the community
and on campus on such issues as the death penalty,
nuclear and ecological concerns, weapons in space,
domestic hate groups, Cuba, Kosovo, East Timor, Africa,
racism, economic sanctions on Iraq, the Patriot Act,
and the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and
Iraq. The Peace Center also organized a youth Peace
Camp several summers.
Board
Members:
Caryl Byrne (Chair)
Paul Durrenburger
Julia Hix
Robert Long
Rev. David Miller
Peter
Morris(Treasurer)
Peter Shaw (Vice Chair)
Jude Simpson
Paul Simpson
Reed Smith
Mike Sletson
Mary Vollero |
 |
Web
site development: Mary Vollero
Photograph for header: Patty Lambert
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