Date: Sep 28, 2007

Visions for a Non-Violent Future: International exhibits at Hofstra highlight efforts for peace

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Two international exhibits that explore efforts to secure peace and end violence will be on display at Hofstra University from October 2-27, 2007 in the first-floor lobbies of C.V. Starr Hall, California Avenue, south campus. The exhibits are free and open to the public. They are on view Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

"Visions for a Non-Violent Future," sponsored by Hofstra’s Center for Civic Engagement, will include an opening night forum "Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: An Impossible Dream?" on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 (United Nations International Day of Non-Violence) at 7 p.m. in the Plaza Rooms of the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, north campus. That will be followed by a viewing and reception at 8 p.m. in C.V. Starr Hall. The two exhibits are:

Transforming the Human Spirit: Examines our shared responsibility for human security in an interdependent world. It explores the “pyramid of violence” with nuclear weapons proliferation at the top and daily acts of interpersonal violence at the bottom.

United Nations Peacekeeping – "Courage for Peace": Highlights the work being done by United Nations peacekeepers worldwide. It features in-depth stories of individuals serving with UN field operations, personalizing their work and connecting the audience with their day-to-day lives.

"As global politics grows increasingly complex and interconnected, it’s important for our students and all citizens to be encouraged to reflect on how citizens in democracies might assist in preventing war or healing the wounds that armed conflict causes,” explained Professor Cynthia Bogard, director of the Center for Civic Engagement. “These exhibits work nicely together because one explores the reasons that people take up arms against one another and how we might work to prevent war while the other looks at the healing process after a conflict subsides."

The exhibit is co-sponsored by The Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, The Harry H. Wachtel Distinguished Professorship at Hofstra University, and Soka Gakkai International-USA.
For more information, contact Professor Bogard at 516-463-5643/5640.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution offering more than 140 undergraduate and 155 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, communication, education and allied human services, and honors studies, and a School of Law.