A Norwegian philosopher who once helped choose Nobel Peace Prize winners will speak at St. Mary’s College of Maryland on Nov. 10, part of the college’s effort to bring home what its leaders learned at a peace education gathering in Oslo this spring.
Henrik Syse, a former member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, will deliver the Goodpaster Lecture, the first event in the college’s new President’s Colloquium Series, St. Mary’s College announced Oct. 13.
The lecture is one of several steps the public honors college has taken since President Rhonda Phillips and three faculty members attended the inaugural Partners in Peace Oslo Peace Congress, held May 27-30 at the Nobel Peace Center in Norway. The college said it is working the ideas and contacts from that trip into student experiences, faculty discussions and campus programs.
What happened in Oslo
The congress was hosted through the National Collegiate Honors Council’s Partners in Peace initiative, a collaboration with the Nobel Peace Center. It brought together higher education leaders and participants from the Nobel Peace Center, the Norwegian Nobel Institute and colleges in the United States and Europe for discussions, workshops and site visits on how colleges can advance peace education, civic engagement and democratic leadership.
Phillips said the college went to learn from global partners while sharing its own perspective, with the goal of helping students “lead with curiosity, courage and purpose.”
Joining her were:
- Andrew Cognard-Black, associate professor and chair of the Departments of Sociology and Anthropology
- Parisa Rinaldi, assistant professor of environmental studies
- Matthew Fehrs, professor of political science
Fehrs described the congress as a unique chance to meet scholars who study and teach about peace. Rinaldi said it reinforced that education is a powerful tool for building a culture of peace, noting that many of the programs presented focused on public discourse, youth empowerment and dialogue.
On campus
On Sept. 21, the college’s Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning hosted a faculty discussion on bringing peace studies into the curriculum. The college did not say whether any new courses have been approved.
Isabella Batarseh ’27 is the college’s first Partners in Peace student ambassador, one of 20 students chosen nationwide, the college said in April. A political science and public policy major and president of the Students for Justice Club, she is taking an online peacework studies course with her cohort this fall and is scheduled to travel to Oslo in December for events tied to the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
“I believe understanding is the first step to finding peace,” Batarseh said when she was named.
The Oslo work adds to the college’s other international ties, including a partnership with Ulster University in Northern Ireland announced in September. St. Mary’s College was recently ranked No. 6 among public liberal arts colleges.
The release did not give a time or location for the Nov. 10 lecture. Campus events are listed on the SMCM events calendar.
