Hartford Seminary is thrilled to announce that its International Peacemaking Program (IPP) will expand for 2016-17 with the help of generous donors to include a scholarship designated for a Jewish student.

“The IPP program is a unique educational framework that combines interfaith engagement in both classroom and residential settings with practical training in peacemaking skills. Having Jewish students in the program promises to bring the wisdom of the Jewish tradition into the mix, enriching both the Jewish participants and their Christian and Muslim peers,” said Prof. Yehezkel Landau, Associate Professor of Interfaith Relations.

The groundbreaking International Peacemaking Program began in 2004 with a grant from David E. A. Carson, former Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Sara F. Carson ’78. It has since brought dozens of young leaders from countries where there is interreligious conflict for a year of study and peacemaking practice.  Graduates of the IPP have returned home and are making a real difference in places like Nigeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan, the Philippines, Iran and India.

In 2014, recognizing both the growing religious diversity within the United States and the need for Christian leadership in interfaith engagement in American cities, the Seminary launched, with the generous support of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, an opportunity for American students to participate in the IPP.  The two Hartford Seminary Peacemaking Fellows in each cohort are seminary students, denominational leaders, and NGO employees with a commitment to peaceful religious coexistence in the American context.

In 2015, the Seminary received scholarship funding for two additional IPP scholarships from the Plowshares Institute, which for more than 30 years cultivated global peacemaking through mediation, conflict resolution training and travel seminars.  Plowshares Peacemaking Fellows are selected from candidates who embody the values of Plowshares, including a deep commitment to apply their new skills and insights to their country or region upon their return.

Now, in 2016, the scholarship for a Jewish IPP student expands the program once again, bringing to eight the total number of scholarships for 2016-17.

Participants in the International Peacemaking Program are college graduates who study interfaith dialogue, conflict transformation, and leadership skills.  They live in intentionally interfaith housing on campus, spend time in local faith communities, and receive training in public speaking and engagement.

Upon completion of the required 18-credits (six full courses taken in one academic year), all scholarship recipients receive a Graduate Certificate in either Interfaith Dialogue or Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations.  Fellows additionally conceive and implement a leadership project as part of their program requirements. Peacemaking scholarships include tuition, books, travel to and from Hartford Seminary, and housing.

Those interested in the scholarship for Jewish students should contact IPP Director Phoebe Milliken at pmilliken@hartsem.edu or 860-509-9552.