School of Peace and Conflict Studies

Kent State University is building on the legacy of May 4, 1970, and the mission of its School of Peace and Conflict Studies, when it joins forces with the University of Rwanda in July to help advance peace education across the globe. 

The Department of English, School of Peace and Conflict Studies, Department of Political Science and Department of Africana Studies are collaborating with South Korean universities, Chonnam National University and Jeonbuk National University, to bring Kent State the Second International Graduate Colloquium on Cultural Memory Studies.

Molly Merryman, Ph.D., associate professor in Kent State’s School of Peace and Conflict Studies, and Lauren Vachon, assistant professor in Kent State’s LGBTQ studies program and coordinator of the LGBTQ studies minor program, were instrumental in obtaining a $35,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State for the project Resilience During the Pandemic: LGBTQ+ Stories. 

Neil Cooper, Ph.D., director of the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, says civil disturbances of the kind witnessed since the death of George Floyd represent moments of opportunity for societies.

They remember the sights and sounds of helicopters and trucks as the Ohio National Guard moved into their small college town. They remember the smell of tear gas. They remember the chants of the protesters against the Vietnam War and invasion of Cambodia. They remember the panic and fear that ensued immediately after they heard that four students were killed and nine wounded when the guardsmen opened fire on campus. On May 4, 1970, many people in Kent experienced a traumatic event that they will never forget.

Kent State University’s inaugural director of the new School of Peace and Conflict Studies, Neil Cooper, Ph.D., said as the university builds toward the 50th commemoration of May 4, 1970, and the 50th anniversary of the school, he is looking forward to working with colleagues on the next phase of the school’s history.