Education: USD Facility Could Be Setting for
International Disputes
The newly completed Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego could become a center for resolving international and domestic disputes.
Of course, building a reputation as a global mediation center will take time, but in many ways the Kroc center already has made an impact.
“There is nothing like this west of the Mississippi,” said institute director Joyce Neu, who was hired about a year ago. “While there may be dozens of peace programs at other universities, very few of them have their own facility.”
The $30 million Kroc center is not only a site for study and research on the issues of peace, conflict and social justice, but a place where actual mediation between parties can take place, Neu said.
Peace agreements such as the 1993 Oslo accord between Israel and the Palestinians succeeded because the parties were able to negotiate the main terms at a neutral site, well below the radar screen of the public, Neu said.
A popular site for international negotiations and a potential model for the Kroc Institute is Geneva, she added.
One reason foreign officials may want to negotiate terms in San Diego is those involved in the negotiating process put their lives at risk, and seek locations far from extremists, she said.
International negotiations usually are conducted by representatives of heads of state such as foreign ministers, deputy foreign ministers or chiefs of staff, said Neu, who has experience in such matters.
Before her appointment as director, Neu spent eight and a half years as the senior associate director at the Carter Center in Atlanta.
Neu, who has a doctorate in linguistics, has been involved in a number of international mediations, including the war in Bosnia and a border dispute between Uganda and Sudan.
Multiple Uses
But the mediation that may occur at the Kroc Institute could also involve local governments or disputes involving corporations or public and private agencies or entities, said Frank Lazarus, USD’s provost and vice president.
The center could also be used as a place where public or private groups could hold seminars or conferences, Lazarus said.
“The ultimate goal for the institute is to promote peace and social justice in areas where there’s a need for that kind of support,” he said.
Neu said she was attracted to her new job because, unlike the Carter Center, it also contained educational and research components. The institute will offer a master of art degree in peace and justice, as well as undergraduate courses beginning next year. The idea is to attract students who are returning for advanced training.
The classes could be applied to a variety of jobs in different arenas, including government, nonprofit organizations, or even in the private sector in human relations, she said.
Serene Setting
The 92,000-square-foot institute was funded mainly by a $25 million donation from Kroc, widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc and an outspoken peace advocate.
Overlooking Mission Bay, the structure contains a 320-seat auditorium, distance learning center, classrooms, faculty offices, and an adjoining three-unit apartment that may be used by visiting scholars or officials.
The style of the architecture is Romantic revival and fits in well with the surrounding buildings on the campus, Lazarus said. The architect was Carrier Johnson of San Diego and the contractor was Rudolph & Sletten, Inc.
While its doors have yet to officially open, Neu said she’s already been contacted by people of two nations where armed conflict is occurring: Sri Lanka and the Republic of Congo.
The first important events on the institute’s schedule is its dedication in December and the Kyoto Laureate Symposium in February.
Prize Winners
The latter event, Feb. 5-8, is a four-day celebration of the lives of the 2001 Kyoto Prize winners, who were announced last month. The Kyoto Prize is similar to the Nobel Prize.
The Inamori Foundation, the nonprofit organization founded by Kazuo Inamori, chairman and founder of Kyocera Corp. and the originator of the prizes, provided a grant of about $500,000 toward establishing the annual symposium at USD for three years.
This year, five individuals were honored with the Kyoto Prize, which includes a cash gift of 50 million yen, or about $410,000 U.S. dollars. The event features speeches by each winner, panel discussions and lectures. The symposium is expected to draw visiting academics, government officials and business representatives from the Pacific Rim and Latin America.
This year’s winners are Morton Panish of the United States, Zhores Alferov of Russia and Izuo Hayashi of Japan in the advanced technology category; John Maynard Smith of England in basic sciences; and Gyorgy Ligeti of Austria in arts and philosophy.
The institute’s dedication will feature an appearance by former President Jimmy Carter. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan also is invited.
