Macomb Community College political science professor Gary Flemming will participate in the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) seminar "Global Peace and Security in Community Colleges and the Communities They Serve." The five-day seminar, held in Washington D.C., June 2-7, will provide 18 community college faculty and administrators selected from across the country an opportunity to carefully examine the nature of international peace and security and to address how community colleges can relate this to the constituencies they serve.
Flemming said he is looking forward to the seminar and examining the topics of international peace and security. "As a participant, I will be learning alternative strategies to war," he says. "I will be working with other educators to create teaching modules to be implemented at our institutions in the fall."
Touted as a "think tank," the USIP is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress.
According to USIP Senior Program Director David J. Smith, by hosting this seminar and committing to its further continuance, the USIP recognizes the major contributions that community colleges make to higher education in the United States.
"To educate community college students in understanding the role violence plays in our global culture, get students to examine their own views and perspectives and help to mold students who actively engage in democratic processes in helping to bring about a world where conflict is resolved peacefully," Smith said.
According to USIP, issues of global peace and security in the post 9/11 world have taken on heightened importance, and community colleges are considered the "front line" of public education in areas of national significance, due to a wide range of cultures and ethnicities in the classroom.
About Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College (www.macomb.edu) is one of the nation’s leading community colleges, providing learning experiences to more than 59,000 students annually. Macomb nationally ranks in the top two percent in the number of associate degrees awarded and as the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan. The college’s comprehensive educational programming includes pre-collegiate experiences, university transfer and career preparation programs, bachelor degree completion and graduate degree programs, workforce training, professional education and certification, and continuing education and enrichment opportunities.