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History of the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies By Ian Harris, Dick Ringler, Kent Shifferd, and William Skelton

The Wisconsin Institute for the Study of the future League of Nations that were War, Peace, and Global Cooperation, designed to outlaw war. now the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, began in the early Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), 1980s, a period of considerable peace including those in the , activity in the United States.1 Most were early advocates for peace specifically, in response to the education. Peace societies came breakdown of talks and together at world peace conventions, the saber rattling by President Ronald first of which took place in The Hague, Reagan, a worldwide peace movement Netherlands, on May 18, 1899, a day had emerged, focusing on the thereafter commemorated as peace day proliferation of nuclear weapons and and celebrated on campuses and the heightened tensions of the Cold schools throughout the United States. War. In addition, U.S. involvement in In Wisconsin, there was considerable Central America had spawned various resistance to the First World War by the “cells” of nonviolent activists across the German settlers who did not want the United States who demonstrated United States to enter into war against against military oppression in Latin their “fatherland.” Much of the America and sent peace delegations to opposition also came from socialists countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, opposed to fighting “a rich man‟s war.” and Nicaragua. In a broader historical After World War I, peace activists and context, however, the formation of the educators promoted “education for Wisconsin Institute also reflected trends international understanding,” whose in the fields of peace studies, peace purpose was to humanize different education, and peace research that had cultures around the world so that they developed during the twentieth century. could not be converted to enemies and hence become the focal point for war The Rise of Peace Education and propaganda. This thrust is currently Research seen on campuses and in schools as “international education” or “global Peace education has always had a studies.” reciprocal relationship with peace movements. In the nineteenth century, World War II created new interest in a most of the impetus to establish variety of peace education known as courses and programs to teach peace on “education for world citizenship” that college and university campuses came was focused on politics practiced by the from concern about the horrors of dominant world powers, the United modern warfare. After the large-scale States and the Soviet Union, that led to slaughter of the American Civil War, the Cold War with its concomitant peace clubs sprang up on various buildup of weapons of mass college and university campuses destruction. The creation of the United throughout North America and Europe. Nations in 1945 spurred new interest in These clubs were often aligned with ways to avoid the scourge of war. In various peace societies that sponsored 1948, the first academic program in national speakers who would travel peace studies began at Manchester from campus to campus denouncing College, a small Brethren college in war and war preparation and promoting North Manchester, Indiana. the establishment of organizations like 2

The field of peace research developed as Boulding, Bert Rolling, Johan Galtung, a “science of peace” in the 1950s to and others, culminated in the first counteract the science of war that had International Peace Research produced so much mass killing. The Association (IPRA) meeting held in first Pugwash Conference was held in Groningen, the Netherlands, in 1965. 1957 in the village of Pugwash, Nova Since that time, IPRA has played a Scotia, Canada, birthplace of the leading role in stimulating the growth of American philanthropist Cyrus Eaton, peace research through its biennial who hosted the meeting. The stimulus conferences and twenty commissions. for that gathering was a Manifesto issued in 1955 by and The field of peace research began with and signed by other the study of wars—why they occur and distinguished academics that called what can be done to stop them. This upon scientists of all political approach to peace became known as persuasions to assemble to discuss the “negative peace,” e.g., stopping some threat posed to civilization by the form of violence. Partly under the advent of thermonuclear weapons. leadership of Johan Galtung, but also Pugwash Conferences bring together through concern for the problems of from around the world influential underdevelopment that plague scholars and public figures concerned countries in the South, peace with reducing the danger of armed researchers in the 1960s began to conflict and seeking cooperative discuss concepts of positive peace that solutions for global problems of war and focused on human rights and justice. peace. This impetus came from Gandhian scholars in India who were concerned In 1959, the Peace Research Institute about peacelessness and the challenges Oslo (PRIO) was founded in Norway of development. Also in the 1960s, under the leadership of Bert Roling. building on the success of Gandhi in Johan Galtung, who has become a overthrowing the yoke of the British leading figure in the field of peace empire in India and the nonviolent research, was active in PRIO, an tactics of the American civil rights organization that publishes two movement inspired by the leadership of academic journals, Journal of Peace Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., scholars Research and Bulletin of Peace began to focus on the use of Proposals, that have helped develop the nonviolence as a creative tool to deal field of peace research. In Britain, the with oppression. Lancaster Peace Research Center, later to become the Richardson Institute, was This expansion of the field of peace also formed in 1959. These early efforts research points to an important laid the foundation of a new academic symbiotic relationship between peace field, peace research, that blossomed movements, peace research, and peace during the 1960s, an era when the studies. The activists lead, developing world was focused on the U.S. war in strategies to oppose violence, whether it Vietnam. be wars between nations, colonial aggression, cultural, domestic, or In 1962, the Women‟s International structural violence. Academics League for Peace and Freedom, which commenting on these developments had its origins during the First World further the field of peace research. The War, set up an International activists, seeking a way to broaden their Consultative Committee on peace message, seek to educate others research that was headed by Elise through peace education. Teachers Boulding, who in 1963 started observing these activities promote peace publishing an International Peace studies courses and programs in Research Newsletter. Her efforts, with schools and colleges to provide support from her husband Kenneth awareness of the challenges of war and 3 peace in their classrooms. Peace colleges and universities in the United researchers seek to promulgate their States had peace studies programs, findings about the success or lack of while many more had courses focusing efficacy of different peace strategies on the problems of war and through peace studies programs. This underdevelopment. Most of the creative recycling of insights into the academic programs were minors or causes of violence and the conditions certificate programs3 created by faculty for peace through the realms of peace responding to student demands to action, research, and education create courses of study that had provides dynamism for peace studies. relevance to their lives. During this decade, the University of Wisconsin- At the end of the decade of the 1960s, Stevens Point established a in a time of world-wide questioning of concentration in peace studies. state policies promoting violence and patriarchal power relations, peace In the 1980s, the decade in which the researchers in the United Sates came Wisconsin Institute was born, peace together to form an organization, the studies saw a huge growth on college Consortium for Peace Research, campuses as a result of growing alarm Education, and Development (COPRED) about the Cold War and the production that brought together scholars and and threatened use of nuclear weapons. activists to discuss and analyze their Concern about the fate of the planet practice. COPRED was the North created new courses and programs American affiliate of the IPRA. COPRED aimed toward promoting global survival. held annual conferences that brought At this same time, international together grassroots activists, teachers, nongovernmental organizations scholars, and researchers.2 It provides reaching out across national boundaries a forum for academics and educators fostered citizen-to-citizen exchanges concerned about wars, ethnic conflicts, (known as “track two” diplomacy), so and human rights to exchange insights the focus of peace studies shifted about efforts to promote peace. In somewhat from state actors to peace 1978, COPRED became an official movements and peace organizations cosponsor of Peace and Change, an that contributed to the dissolution of academic journal started in 1972 by the the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold Conference on Peace Research in War. During this decade, a wide variety History (CPHR, founded in 1964), now of conflict resolution programs called the Peace History Society. This appeared. These ranged from journal publishes scholarly articles neighborhood centers to resolve marital related to the creation of a peaceful and conflicts, to public hearings for humane society. environmental disputes, to university- based training and research programs, Courses about peace, human rights, to peer mediation programs in primary and global issues began to proliferate on and secondary schools, and to the American campuses in the late 1960s. development of national and As a response to the Vietnam War, international organizations. Manhattan College began a peace studies program in 1968 and Colgate This interest in alternative disputes University initiated a peace studies mechanisms expanded the field of peace program in 1969. At this time, several studies further. From an original universities in Sweden established concern in political science departments peace research institutes. In 1973, about the international dimensions of Bradford University in England conflict, professors from a wide variety established its peace studies program of disciplines offered courses that focusing on peace and security studies, covered issues of environmental, conflict resolution, and social change. structural, domestic, and civil violence. By the end of 1970s, several dozen Professors began to challenge concepts 4 of national security based upon military graduate student research throughout might and to investigate concepts of the UC system as well as international collective security, environmental affairs programs on each UC campus. security, and comprehensive security. IGCC‟s original emphasis on security In this time period, the growth of peace and nuclear nonproliferation has studies paralleled interest in women‟s broadened with time. Researchers there studies, Black studies, and are currently exploring the causes of environmental studies. ethnic and religious conflict and studying conflict resolution initiatives in Another trend of the 1980s was the troubled regions of the world. emergence of regional peace studies organizations, one of which was the The Founding of the Wisconsin Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Institute Conflict Studies. Other statewide organizations included the Ohio Peace The Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Education Network (OPEN) and the Conflict Studies reflected the broad University of California Institute on movement toward peace studies Global Conflict and Cooperation programs discussed above. More (IGCC).4 OPEN was created under the immediately, though, it grew out of the leadership of Richard F. Celeste, a widespread public concern in the early Democratic governor of Ohio who was a 1980s about the nuclear arms race and returned Peace Corps volunteer. It was the possibility of nuclear war. a loose network of schools and Quiescent throughout most of the universities in Ohio trying to establish a 1970s, the antinuclear movement peace curriculum for elementary underwent a major revival in the early schools. In 1989, it became the 1980s, a response to the breakdown of Commission of Dispute Resolution arms control talks between the Soviet formed in partnership with the Union and the United States, the Department of Education. This deployment by the superpowers of new centralized organization, located in and more accurate missile systems, and Columbus, the state capital of Ohio, no talk by the administration of Ronald longer involves universities in its Reagan of fighting and “prevailing” in a structure. Staff in this organization nuclear war. The debate took on new focus most of their energies on K-12 urgency in 1983, when President education and do not directly serve Reagan announced his support for the faculty and institutions of higher Strategic Defense Initiative, meaning education. It gets its funding from the the development of antiballistic missile Ohio state budget and was recently technology to provide a comprehensive written out of the budget by a defense of the United States and its Republican governor, but reinstated allies, a proposal that threatened to after people across the state lobbied overturn the ABM Treaty of 1972 and against its closing. open a whole new arena of arms competition. Spearheaded by groups IGCC was founded in 1983 by nuclear such as Physicians for Social physicist Herbert F. York, a Manhattan Responsibility, the Union of Concerned Project participant and the first Scientists, and Randall Forsberg‟s chancellor of UC-San Diego. It serves Nuclear Freeze movement, a grassroots as a research center for the universities international movement emerged, in the University of California system. warning of the critical dangers of The institute uses revenue from the nuclear war and calling for the Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos immediate curtailment and even laboratories to provide dissertation and reversal of the arms buildup. fellowship support on international In Wisconsin, peace activists, concerned studies in the United States. IGCC physicians, academics, and other supports individual faculty and citizens participated in the general 5 antinuclear movement. An early leader the issue of the nuclear peril and had in this activity was Dick Ringler, identified Ringler as someone who could professor of English and Scandinavian help with the planning. Ringler Studies at the University of Wisconsin- discussed the matter with Edward T. Madison. Prompted into action by Linenthal, professor of religious studies increasing international tensions and at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, reckless statements by national leaders, whom he had met through their mutual he wondered if there was something he work with Educators for Social could do—as an individual—to help the Responsibility. Between them, they situation. With this in mind, he were familiar with many of the engaged in a series of activities that academics in Wisconsin who taught resulted in the founding of the about these issues, so they were Wisconsin Institute. He participated in confident that they could put together a meetings and retreats organized by program covering relevant approaches college and university faculty who and disciplines and involving faculty designated themselves the Wisconsin and administrators from most of the Higher Education Peace Studies state‟s public and private colleges and Network. He organized and coordinated universities. They also hoped that the a team-taught multidisciplinary course, conference would be the catalyst for “Perspectives on Nuclear War,” at UW- creating something more substantial Madison, which attracted hundreds of and permanent: an ongoing students over the four years it was organization that would encourage taught. And he helped found a statewide collaboration and resource statewide chapter of Educators for sharing among institutions of higher Social Responsibility. These and similar education. With this in mind, they activities brought him into frequent determined to include high-level contact with educators throughout the administrators, both to legitimize state who shared his interests and nuclear war and weapons issues as concerns. subjects of academic concern and to smooth the way for establishing a In 1983, Ringler published an article in statewide association. They also Academe (the bulletin of the American planned the conference so as to allow Association of University Professors) time at the end for a preliminary calling on colleagues throughout the discussion among attendees on the country to devote more time to teaching feasibility of such an association. these controversial issues. This article came to the attention of James Cracraft The conference, entitled “Nuclear Age of the University of Chicago, editor of Education,” was held at UW-Green Bay the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, who on November 17, 1984, and attracted asked Ringler to solicit contributions to an unexpectedly large audience of and edit a special 32-page supplement educators from around the state. The to the Bulletin. The resulting collection program featured special interest of articles, entitled Nuclear War: A sessions on such topics as “Nuclear Teaching Guide, appeared in the Weapons and Political Purpose,” magazine in 1984 and was published “Psychological Resistances to and distributed separately in pamphlet Confronting Nuclear War,” and form. “Religious and Ethical Dilemmas,” as well as presentations by college While working on this project, Ringler presidents and other administrators received an inquiry from the Office of and the speaker of the Wisconsin Outreach at the University of Assembly. Of special significance, Ben Wisconsin-Green Bay. Motivated by the R. Lawton, M.D., president of the same anxiety as so many other University of Wisconsin Board of Americans, the staff of this office was Regents, gave a stimulating address, considering organizing a conference on challenging the audience to do more 6 than just talk about the nuclear threat, by the Executive Council, were to and G. Allen Greb, administrative include an Executive Director, Associate director of the California Institute of Director, and Executive Secretary. To Global Conflict and Cooperation, establish balance between the private explained how a successful cooperative and state institutions, one of the effort had been organized among the knottiest problems confronting the public universities of California. The participants during the organizational conference ended with an open forum to meetings, the charter initially specified discuss cooperative goals, followed by a that the executive and associate second forum to discuss cooperative directors were not both to serve strategies and establish a statewide simultaneously from either of the committee. At the conclusion, the categories. Meeting in Madison on April group agreed to pursue the goal of a 27, 1985, representatives from twenty statewide organization and decided that colleges and universities formally and unofficial representatives of Wisconsin‟s unanimously adopted the charter and colleges and universities should meet selected Dick Ringler as executive again to discuss ways and means. director and Kent Shifferd, professor of history and director of the Peace On February 3, 1985, faculty members Studies Program at Northland College, from seven private colleges and as associate director. The choice of universities and ten University of these officers was an extremely Wisconsin campuses and centers, as fortunate decision, as they would well as representatives from UW supply the commitment, energy, and Extension and the UW System, organizing skills to sustain the Institute convened at UW-Stevens Point to begin through its early years. implementation of the proposed organization. There they drafted a During the spring and summer of 1985, declaration informally founding the Ringler and Shifferd, with the help of Wisconsin Institute for the Study of Charles Rumsey of the UW-Stevens War, Peace, and Global Cooperation, Point History Department, negotiated an intended to “encourage and legitimize agreement with the UW-Stevens Point research and teaching on the roots of administration to provide space for a organized violence, on security issues, central Institute office, located in the and on the factors necessary for a just University library. The UW-Stevens global peace, to develop and maintain a Point Foundation also agreed to act as resource base for peace studies, and the organization‟s fiscal agent. The thereby to increase the probability of officers initially hired Kathy Smith as the survival and enhancement of life in executive secretary, a half-time position the nuclear age.” with responsibility for administering the central office, but she resigned shortly The representatives selected a Charter afterwards to take another position. Committee that subsequently drafted a Her replacement, appointed in the fall of complete charter for the organization. 1985, was Sharon Roberts, who would The Institute was defined as an continue in the office until 2001. She independent nonprofit, nonstock administered the Institute‟s affairs and corporation open to membership on an budget with great competence and equal basis to both public and private dedication, and become the institutions of higher learning in organizational heart and soul of the Wisconsin. The governing body was to Wisconsin Institute. be an Executive Council composed of campus representatives selected by the Initiating Institute Programs and presidents and/or chancellors of the Activities member institutions and up to four (later changed to six) at-large members On September 13, 1985, the first chosen by the council. Officers, elected meeting of the Wisconsin Institute 7

Executive Board occurred at UW- nuclear weapons and arms control Stevens Point. The campus issues. representatives were drawn from a wide variety of disciplines. Historians and The following year, the Institute co- political scientists initially sponsored two such academic predominated, but others represented conferences: “Is such fields as physics, chemistry, Possible? Or Desirable?” in April at education, philosophy, religious studies, Lawrence University, and “Central literature, and psychology. At the America: War or Peace?” in October at original meeting, the board took one of the UW-Center at Fond du Lac. the most important programming steps Thereafter, the professional conferences in its history: approval of the “Campus became annual affairs, scheduled in the Visitors” program, a list of expert fall and frequently involving speakers on peace and conflict issues to collaboration with host campuses or be made available without charge for other academic organizations. The appearances on all member campuses. subject matter gradually broadened The original list consisted of only four from the core field of nuclear arms and speakers offering talks on such subjects national security to include such topics as “Evolution of U.S. and Soviet Nuclear as “Ecological Resistance Movements: Strategy,” “Nonviolent National Religion, Politics, Ethics” (UW-Madison, Defense,” “Environmental Dimensions 1995); “Religion, War, and Peace” (Ripon of Gun Violence,” and “Star Wars and College, 1996); “Women, Peace, and Its Cultural Consequences.” Over the Conflict” (UW-Platteville, 1999); and years, however, the program grew “Challenges and Paths to Justice” dramatically and became one of the (Marquette University, 2004). central Institute services, providing Conferences normally included one or hundreds of presentations to campus two featured speakers and a variety of audiences, classes, and public panels and workshops. As in all gatherings across the state. The Wisconsin Institute activities, organizers speakers list for 2004-2005, for were very careful to insure that the example, included twenty-two speakers programs maintained balance among and a choice of forty-nine separate contrasting points of view, and it talks, ranging from international became common to pair peace relations to religious, philosophical, and advocates with military figures or other artistic perspectives on war and peace. supporters of a strong military posture.

At the September 1985 meeting, the In 1987, the Wisconsin Institute Executive Board also launched another initiated a third permanent program, a permanent program when it agreed to series of annual student conferences sponsor the first of a series of held in the spring. The first such conferences on critical issues, geared to conference, entitled “Critical Issues in faculty and informed members of the the Global Village” and organized by general public. The original conference, Leonard Gambrell of the UW-Eau Claire held on April 19, 1986, and hosted by Political Science Department, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, established the basic pattern. Students set a very high standard. Entitled from campuses across the state met at “Tensions and Common Ground Eau Claire to present papers, either between „Security‟ and „Peace‟ in the written for their classes or specifically Nuclear Age,” the conference featured for the conference, and to participate on addresses by Randall Forsberg, panels relating to important world organizer of the national Nuclear Freeze topics, with small cash prizes awarded campaign, national security for the best presentations. Although commentator Keith Payne, and subsequent conferences varied Congressman Les Aspin, as well as somewhat in size and number of sessions and workshops on a variety of participating institutions, the overall 8 trend was toward growth. The 2002 page anthology of readings, and a 650- conference at Edgewood College, for page “Companion to Studies” designed example, involved 88 student attendees, to coordinate and integrate the various 53 of whom delivered individual papers. project components. Broadcast over Conference themes were generally WPR in the fall of 1992, the audio worded as broadly as possible to program included segments on such encourage participation, and most topics as “The Bombing of Dresden,” conferences featured a prominent “Propaganda Battlefields,” “Movements keynote speaker, including military of Peace,” “Nuclear Terror,” and journalist Gwynne Dyer (UW-Stevens “Nonviolent Revolution in Eastern Point, 1988), former president of Notre Europe.” It attracted a wide listening Dame and peace and justice pioneer audience and in 1993 received an Ohio Theodore Hesburgh (Lakeland College, State Award for Excellence in 1989), and former Ohio governor and Broadcasting. The “Dilemmas of War peace education advocate John Gilligan and Peace” program as a whole, (UW-Milwaukee, 1990). Important completed in 1993, was granted the additions to the conference format were Distinguished Course Award of the the inclusion of a separate category of National University Continuing student poster art that provided a Education Association‟s Division of circulating exhibit for member Independent Study. campuses and recognition of student academic excellence through a Beginning in 1988, the Institute Distinguished Student Scholar Award. published a semiannual newsletter, Bulletin of the Wisconsin Institute, One of the major programming intended to inform administrators and achievements of the Wisconsin Institute faculty of member schools of the was the “Dilemmas of War and Peace” organization‟s programs and activities. project. This venture began in 1988 as In 1991, the Institute launched another a 15-hour, 3-credit public radio seminar ongoing program: publication of an entitled “War or Peace? Confronting the annual journal, originally entitled Challenge,” a joint project of the Viewpoints on War, Peace, and Global Wisconsin Institute and Wisconsin Cooperation and in 1997 renamed Public Radio. Afterwards, Ringler, Journal for the Study of Peace and Shifferd, and Leonard Gambrell Conflict. Edited by Kent Shifferd (1991- cooperated with WPR in obtaining a 1992, 2001-2004) and by Gary major grant from the Annenberg Boelhower of Marian College (1993- Foundation and the Corporation for 2000), the journal was interdisciplinary Public Broadcasting to fund a multi- in approach and published articles on a disciplinary, multi-media, and multi- wide variety of subjects, including use learning resource on issues of war international relations, military affairs, and peace, entitled “Dilemmas of War social justice, conflict resolution, and Peace.” Headed by Ringler, the pacifism and nonviolence, and peace faculty team that developed the course education, as well as book reviews and included Shifferd and Gambrell of the poetry. Contributors included Wisconsin Institute, military journalist academics from member campuses but and historian Gwynne Dyer, Patricia M. also from colleges and universities Mische of the Global Education across the nation, Canada, and other Associates, and Colonel David G. countries, and the quality of the articles Hansen, a retired professor at the U.S. was generally high. Regrettably, the Army War College. In a series of journal long experienced difficulty meetings in Madison, some rather selling subscriptions and otherwise heated because of the effort to balance achieving a wide circulation of paper contrasting viewpoints, the group copies. Through cooperation with developed an audio program consisting Memorial Library at UW-Madison, of thirteen half-hour segments, a 900- however, the journal was made 9 available on-line and, beginning with benefits of the executive secretary, the 2004-2005 issue, it appeared on- contribute toward mailing and office line at the Institute‟s website as well, a expenses, provide minimal support for move designed to expand its readership the annual conferences, and underwrite considerably. expenses for the travel of speakers in the Campus Visitors program. One final Wisconsin Institute activity deserves mention: the granting of Soon after the founding of the Institute, awards. In 1990, the Institute Dick Ringler, Kent Shifferd, and others, established the Distinguished Faculty with the dedicated support of Sharon Award, soon afterwards renamed the Roberts, energetically pursued grants Dick Ringler Distinguished Peace from foundations and other agencies to Educator Award in honor of the fund programming and administrative Institute‟s principal founder. Each year expenses. With the major exception of the board selected a scholar whose the “Dilemmas of War and Peace” teaching and scholarship promoted the project, however, the results were fields of peace and conflict studies. In disappointing. While the Institute 1990, the first to be honored was Ian managed to garner a few small grants Harris, an advocate of international for special projects, including several peace research and founder and head of from the Wisconsin Humanities the peace studies certificate program at Council, it failed to obtain significant UW-Milwaukee. Among the subsequent ongoing funding to supplement the awardees were Paul Boyer of UW- membership fees. An effort to sell Madison, historian of the impact of the individual memberships had only atomic bomb on American culture limited results, though personal (1991); Edward Linenthal of UW- donations did help somewhat to relieve Oshkosh, Wisconsin Institute leader the financial burden and support the and historian of the commemoration of establishment of a small endowment American wars (1994); peace and justice fund, administered by the UW-Stevens theologian Daniel Maguire of Marquette Point Foundation. University (1997); and World War II memoirist Agate Nesaule of UW- With so much depending on the Whitewater (1999). In 1991, the campus membership fees, the Institute introduced the Distinguished Wisconsin Institute‟s financial situation Student Scholar Award, granted remained chronically precarious. annually to a student or students at Recurrently, financial pressures at member institutions for outstanding private colleges and state budget cuts at scholarship and leadership in peace the public universities led related activities. administrators to drop or suspend their memberships. Campus representatives The Challenge of Funding and other faculty were frequently required to launch urgent appeals to From the start, the Wisconsin Institute their presidents, chancellors, and operated on a budgetary shoestring, provosts to retain their institutions‟ and an ongoing concern was broadening support. On several occasions, the its financial support. Unlike the Executive Board adjusted fee levels to statewide organizations in California respond to financial concerns and and Ohio, the Institute lacked a thereby preserve the membership base. consistent source of external support. Nevertheless, the Institute managed to Basic funding came from annual weather the fiscal storms and continue campus membership fees, originally set to maintain its basic services. at $1,000. With the number of member institutions fluctuating between twenty and twenty-eight, this fund was barely sufficient to cover the salary and 10

An Ongoing Tradition presidents, chancellors, and other administrators and oversee the vast On the evening of October 8, 2004, a amount of organizational detail gala dinner was held at the Three necessary for running a successful Brothers Restaurant in Milwaukee to conference. celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Wisconsin Institute‟s founding. The A second ingredient in the Wisconsin gathering, which was funded by an Institute‟s success was the strong level anonymous well-wisher, followed the of staff support provided by the central Institute‟s highly successful fall office. The appointment in 1985 of conference at Marquette University. Sharon Roberts as executive secretary Most of the current members of the (a title later changed to administrative Executive Board attended, as well as director) was an extremely fortunate many of the Institute‟s founders and step. For the next sixteen years, until others who had been involved with the moving to Boston in 2001, Roberts Institute over the years. The mood was sustained the organization through her festive and a bit self-congratulatory, energy, administrative skills, and with the participants recognizing their personal commitment to the Wisconsin extraordinary achievement in sustaining Institute and its goals. She handled a statewide interdisciplinary financial matters skillfully, squeezing organization for two decades on the absolute most out of a very limited volunteer efforts and a shoestring budget and pursuing grants, private budget. contributions, and other alternative sources of funding. Moreover she Several factors contributed to the provided the initiative and Wisconsin‟s Institute‟s success. One administrative continuity to sustain the was the organization‟s success in Institute‟s permanent programs through developing cooperative arrangements the frequent changes in executive with member campuses and other officers, insuring that the conferences academic institutions that helped would be efficiently held, the Campus alleviate the financial constraints. By Visitors Program staffed and far the most prominent example of such maintained, the journal issues regularly cooperation was the arrangement, published, and the Executive Board reached in 1985, by which the UW- meetings smoothly run. Her successor Stevens Point administration agreed to as administrative director, Sarah provide rent-free office space in the Stillwell, proved to be an exceptionally University library, have the UW-Stevens qualified replacement and carried Point Foundation serve as the forward the tradition of managerial Institute‟s fiscal agent, and otherwise efficiency, budgetary wizardry, and supply essential services. Without this personal dedication to the Institute. institutional support, which amounted Largely through the efforts of Roberts to a substantial subsidy in kind and Stillwell, the Wisconsin Institute continuing over more than two decades, managed to maintain its central the Wisconsin Institute could not have programs for two decades without a survived its infancy. In addition, most single interruption. of the Institute‟s conferences were cooperative events, subsidized in large A third factor accounting for the part by the host campuses with the Institute‟s success was perhaps the Institute providing organizational skills, most important: the willingness of a publicity, and limited financial core group of participants to devote an contributions. Key to these immense amount of personal time and arrangements were the campus energy to supporting the organization representatives and other interested and its programs. Originally, this group faculty at the local level who were included Dick Ringler, Kent Shifferd, willing to solicit support from their Leonard Gambrell, Ian Harris, and 11 others from the founding “generation,” and help maintain the organization‟s and many of them remained active dynamism and vitality. throughout the course of the Institute‟s development. Increasingly, however, The many accomplishments of the the founding group was augmented by a Wisconsin Institute presented in this cadre of younger, early- and mid-career essay indicate how faculty can link academics, among whom were Deborah together in a regional framework to keep Buffton (UW-Lacrosse), Marty Farrell abreast of the latest developments in a and Joe Hatcher (Ripon College), burgeoning academic field. The various Richard Friman (Marquette), Eric Yonke conferences, public talks, journal (UW-Stevens Point), and Geoff articles, and radio shows sponsored by Bradshaw (Madison Area Technical the Institute provide information on College). Although differing widely as to peace and conflict issues not only to academic specialty and position on the academics but also to students and issues, these people shared a strong members of the broader community. By concern about the dangers of nuclear providing such community education, war and a commitment to promoting the Institute has helped raise public peace and conflict education. They awareness on matters of war and peace were willing to take on Institute offices, throughout the state of Wisconsin.6 organize conferences, serve as campus visitors, and participate in a wide variety of essential and time consuming organizational tasks. In many cases, Notes academic ties to the Institute were reinforced by the development of close 1 The United States Institute of Peace was personal friendships and the emergence founded in 1984. of a social network, centering in the 2 In 1986 university professors in COPRED, annual Institute retreats, usually held feeling the need for a more professional in June on Washington Island or organization to promote the growing field of elsewhere in Door County, Wisconsin. peace studies on campuses, broke away to form the Peace Studies Association. These

organizations have subsequently merged in The second generation of leaders 2001 into the Peace and Justice Studies includes people who have received Association. academic training in peace studies and 3 Both of these academic programs have have themselves established new similar credit demands, usually between 18 programs in that field. In the twenty and 24 credits. Minors tend to be within a years of the Wisconsin Institute‟s specific academic discipline, say history, existence, the number of institutions while certificate programs tend to be cross offering academic peace studies disciplinary, involving departments from many different disciplines. programs has grown from two to five.5 4 In the 1980s, a regional network in New The Wisconsin Institute allows faculty England started to gather bringing in faculty from these and other institutions to from colleges in New York, Massachusetts, share in an interdisciplinary exchange and Maine, but this network has no staff. of insights into the study of peace and Nor does it meet on an annual basis. conflict. While most academics attend 5 In 1985, UW-Stevens Point had a conferences solely in their specific concentration in peace studies and disciplines, Wisconsin Institute events Northland College a major in the field. In permit psychologists to talk with addition to these, UW-Milwaukee now has a certificate program in peace studies, Alverno historians, political scientists with College a major emphasis, and Marquette sociologists, philosophers with University a minor. Moreover, the UW- theologians, and education specialists Stevens Point program is now a full minor. with faculty in criminal justice and 6 Although the Wisconsin Institute has, in social work. Such exchanges contribute the past, performed miracles of a special energy to Institute functions programming on a shoestring budget, its desire to broaden and deepen the range of 12

its activities has always been hampered by inadequate funds. Hence the Institute always welcomes contributions from well- wishers (tax-deductible of course), especially contributions to the Endowment Fund which has been created to insure the organization‟s long-term viability.

This Institute history was written in 2005 by long-time Institute members and leaders, Ian Harris, Dick Ringler, Kent Shifferd, and William Skelton.