Baker Institutional Updates and Internal Improvements

Enrollment:

A comprehensive strategy was created with the college enrollment team to improve their understanding of the Baker Institute’s current programs and student opportunities. This strategy has been helpful to recruit prospective students to the Baker Institute and to increase the visibility of the Peace and Conflict Studies department. The Baker Institute has established active collaboration with Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, Jason Moran, and Senior Associate Dean of Admission and Marketing, Steven Simons. This collaboration is crucial for identifying gaps and opportunities for our organization.

Curriculum—International Studies:

The work of the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies is inherently interdisciplinary, combining the fields of politics, history, sociology, business, and economics. In the 2021–2022 academic year, the International Studies program at Juniata was brought under the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) department with an updated curriculum. This transition has increased the number of students involved in PACS and visibility on campus. The International Studies program challenges students to understand both the diversity of human experience and the interconnectedness of problems in our increasingly global political, economic, and cultural environments. The Baker Institute is excited to house three POEs: Peace and Conflict Studies, Communication and Conflict Resolution, and International Studies.

Website:

To increase the visibility of the Baker Institute, important updates have been made to the institute’s website. These improvements highlight the opportunities available to students such as funding, networking, research, and travel. The website has been restructured with the help of Isaac Baker, Director of Web Design at Juniata College. Additional improvements to the Baker Institute website will be worked upon in the 2022–2023 school year.

Student Involvement with The Baker Institute: 2021–2022

Class of 2022

Sarah J. Borgardt (She/Her)

International Politics

Secondary Emphasis in Economics and PACS

San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Grace Cook-Huffman (She/Her)

Cultural Violence and Media Studies

Huntingdon, Pa.

Eva L. Curlee (She/Her)

Economics/International Studies

Oakmont, Pa.

Keisuke Maeda (He/Him)

International Studies

Nerima-Ku, Japan

Julia P. McIntosh (She/Her)

International Studies

Secondary Emphasis in PACS

Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Shanna L. Menendez (She/Her)

International Peace Studies

Sicklerville, N.J.

Baker Institute Student Employees

Juniata Associate: Shanna Menendez ’22

Student Assistants: Melanie Thorn ’23 and Amelia Kasdorf ’25

Baker Institute Advisory Board Student Members

Shanna Menendez ’22

Grace Cook-Huffman ’22

Cruzilious Contreras-Amezcua ’23

Melanie Thorn ’23

Student Conferences

Peace and Justice Studies Association Conference (PJSA)

The 2021 PJSA Conference took place from October 8 to October 10 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually. The conference invited peace and justice scholars, students, and community-based practitioners to explore the intersections of health, equity, justice, and peacebuilding. The COVID-19 pandemic took a central position at the conference, as the PJSA & WIPCS website states, “The roots of health disparities stretch back in history with colonization practices and are laid bare again by COVID-19. The rawness of our recent crisis provides an important opportunity to explore the depth of health hierarchies.” Virtual access to this conference was made available to PACS students, faculty, and staff..

Student Internships

The Baker Institute Paid Summer Internship Program sends students out into the world to practice and build on the skills they’re developing in Peace and Conflict Studies courses. To connect students with meaningful experiential learning opportunities during the summer months, the Baker Institute established its Summer Internship Program in the Spring of 2022. The Baker Institute Summer Internship Paid Program provides financial and organizational support to students interested in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Search for Common Ground

The Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies established a partnership with Search for Common Ground in April of 2022 to allow Juniata College students to join this organization for summer internships. Search for Common Ground is an international non-governmental organization that works to end violent conflict and build just societies, and is the largest dedicated peacebuilding organization. Since 1982, Search for Common Ground has expanded its operation to 31 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Its mission is to transform the way the world approaches conflict—away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. In the summer of 2022, Deon Mendez (He/Him) was the first student to engage with this program. Mendez is a senior with a POE in Peace and Conflict Studies and a Secondary Emphasis in Management and Criminal Justice.