Hastings College’s Vocation and Values program is proud to bring to campus noted peace activist and author, Colman McCarthy. The syndicated columnist and editorial page writer for The Washington Post, will present “How To Be an Effective Peacemaker,” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9 in French Memorial Chapel at Hastings College. McCarthy will also be the featured guest at the 10 a.m. Chapel service that morning. Other sponsors for the event include Nebraskans for Peace and First Presbyterian Church, Hastings, Neb.

McCarthy lectures around the country on “Solutions to Violence” and has formed a non-profit organization, The Center for Teaching Peace, which helps schools begin or broaden peace studies programs. Under his leadership, the center also conducts workshops and seminars on conflict resolution and mediation.

Colman McCarthy has been writing for The Washington Post since 1968. His columns have been nationally syndicated since 1978 and regularly draw more letters-to-the-editor than any other op-ed writer. He has also authored or edited eight books, including I’d Rather Teach Peace (2008) and All of One Peace: Essays on Non-Violence (1994). McCarthy is also an adjunct professor for Georgetown University Law Center.

McCarthy is a sought-after speaker on U.S. campuses because he convincingly calls on students to defy the conventional by becoming citizens who are other-centered, not self-centered. He argues persuasively that each of us is called on to be a peacemaker in our personal and political lives.

Hastings College was founded in 1882 by Presbyterians who envisioned a college that would encompass the highest academic standards within the broad perspective of the liberal arts and dedication to the Christian faith.
Throughout its history, Hastings College has remained faithful to the vision of its founders by preparing students to excel in their personal, professional and spiritual lives. Recently initiated through the generous support of the Lilly Endowment, Inc., the Hastings College Vocation and Values Program encourages students to think deeply about the ethical and spiritual dimensions of their life’s work and to consider careers of service to others.