BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A new fellows program at Illinois Wesleyan University is helping students discover new avenues for peace. “Peace is not the absence of war. It is something much greater, that takes much more work,” said Erma Stutzman, who, with husband John Stutzman, is sponsoring the new Peace Fellows Program at Illinois Wesleyan, which will offer student fellows mentoring and financial support for studies that forward the idea of peace and justice.
“We all live in a fractured and violent world, not just internationally, but at all levels of society – in business, homes, marriages, personal contacts and the community,” said John Stutzman, a retired urologist who has volunteered in violence-torn nations such as Haiti. “The idea of the program is to promote peace, justice and reconciliation.”
A former member of the University Board of Trustees, Stutzman said he and his wife thought Illinois Wesleyan would be a strong place to start the Peace Fellows Program. “The number of colleges and universities instituting peace studies programs is increasing,” he said. “We knew Illinois Wesleyan would be a good platform for a program here.”
Formulated this spring, two students were selected to be the inaugural Peace Fellows. One of the students, junior Holly Aldrich of Elmhurst, began her studies this fall. “One of the reasons I chose Illinois Wesleyan is that it affords personal growth and the pursuit of that which I am passionate in a very challenging academic setting,” said Aldrich, a Women’s Studies major, who plans to expand her studies of involuntary female circumcision, and may use her fellowship to work in Africa. “What we have at Illinois Wesleyan are the tools for social change,” said Aldrich. “We have a student population here that is responsive.”