Peace and Conflict Studies Institute (PACSI)

The goal of the Peace and Conflict Studies Institute (PACSI) is to promote education, research and practice concerning peace and conflict issues, in both the UMass Lowell and greater-Lowell communities. We focus on

• Conflicts at all levels—from local to national to global
• Social injustice (based on race, gender, economics, sexual orientation, etc.) and environmental degradation and their connections to conflicts and violence
• Positive alternatives to war and violence, such as conflict resolution—these are often best learned through participatory, “hands-on” activities.

The 2009 Greeley Peace Scholar will be Padraig O'Malley, who is the acclaimed international peace activist and the John Joseph Moakley Distinguished Professor for Peace and Reconciliation at the McCormack Graduate School of Public Policy at UMass Boston. He is the recipient of the Peace Award of the International Association of University Presidents, the Eire Society Gold Medal Award, and the Freedom International Award. He is the author of the award-winning UnCivil Wars: Ireland Today, Shades of Difference: Mac Maharaj and the Struggle for South Africa, and the forthcoming The Greater Middle East: Different Starting Points, Different Histories.

Padraig O'Malley will be the speaker at the 14th annual Day Without Violence, which has been held held every April since 1996. PACSI sponsors and cosponsors several additional lectures and discussions each semester.

We collaborate with a wide range of people and organizations, both on campus and in the wider community.