The Peace and Conflict Studies (PCON) Program recognizes and supports outstanding student work with a generous fellowship and several awards.
Peace & Conflict Studies Fellowship
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s Peace and Conflict Studies Program (PCON) offers an annual summer fellowship. This $10,000–12,000 grant is meant to support student-initiated research focused on issues relevant to the mission of the PCON program, above all the global problem of mass organized violence and the role of security institutions in human life. Students who have secured a summer internship with an organization grappling with these questions can also be supported by the fellowship. All recipients, even students in their fourth year, must present their work to the PCON faculty and students in the semester after completing their projects. PCON students have worked with a range of organizations, including the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Mine Action in Ottawa. Fellowships have also been used to support summer research on campus.
Students should consult with their PCON adviser or the program director early in the fall semester to identify the most salient summer opportunities and to discuss details of the application process. The PCON Fellowship is open to all currently-enrolled students at ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ. The Application Deadline for 2024-2025 funding (Summer 2025) is February 1, 2025.
Awards
The Dag Hammarskjöld Prize in Peace and Conflict Studies
Awarded by the program to a student on the basis of outstanding work, usually judged on one specific written work. Selection is made by the Peace and Conflict Studies Advisory Committee from among students having taken at least two courses in the program.
The Sterling Prize
Established in 1988 by classmates, family, and friends in honor of John F. (Jay) Sterling ’68 to recognize excellence in international studies and a personal commitment to peaceful cooperation among nations, this prize is awarded annually to a ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ student whose academic work in international economics, politics, or culture exemplifies Jay Sterling’s spirit of endless curiosity, University interest, and constructive work.
The Clarence Young Award
This award is given by the program using funds established by wife Virginia B. Young and brother Burton O. Young in memory of Clarence W. Young, a member of the psychology department from 1929 to 1971. It was established as an award for academic excellence in peace and conflict studies.