Washington, PA (October 15, 2015) - International Peace Negotiator Mary Montague will be in residence at Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) from November 1-4, 2015. Montague, an experienced mediator who hails from Northern Ireland, has spent many years promoting peace in communities both at home and abroad. Montague has managed to bring opposing parties closer together and encouraged them to take part in inter-community peace talks. For decades, she acted as a mediator in the Northern Ireland conflict and made a significant contribution to reconciling the communities. She has mediated in other areas of crisis throughout the world including Kosovo, the Balkans, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, the Middle East, Asia, and Northern Africa.
After spending four decades focused on healing those affected by the conflict of Northern Ireland, Montague co-founded the non-profit organization TIDES Training & Consultancy to give ex-combatant groups and security leaders a chance to recover from the trauma they endured during the Northern Ireland conflict by letting them discuss and share their experiences. The motivation of TIDES training is to promote the building of a sustainable peace.
“It is a great honor to have this celebrated peacemaker visit our community. Her work in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, the Balkans, and Sudan in Africa has justly earned her the respect of peacemakers, mediators, and leaders in the restorative justice movement across the globe,” said James Longo, Ed.D., Professor and Chair of the Education Department. Negotiations for her visit began in Bucharest, Romania when she met Dr. Longo and his wife, Mary Jo Harwood, who were presenters at the Mediators Beyond Borders International Congress where she was being honored for her peace work.
Montague brings a wealth of experience to her visit to W&J, which is sponsored by the J. Robert Maxwell ’43 Visiting Scholar Series, the Benedum Master Teacher Grant, Conflict and Resolution Studies, and the Education Department.
During her visit, Montague will work with both the W&J campus and the Washington community. She will be giving a public lecture titled “Us and Them: The Nature of Peace and Conflict” on Tuesday, November 3rd at 7:00 p.m. in the Rossin Ballroom. W&J students will also learn from Montague as she visits various courses during her stay.
“In addition to meeting with local community leaders and presenting an address open to the entire campus community, Mary Montague will be doing workshops for students in classes sponsored by the Conflict and Resolution Concentration and the W&J Education Department. This is a unique opportunity for our W&J students and the larger community to meet, share meals, and spend time with this remarkable peacemaker,” said Dr. Longo.
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.
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