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The Annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest

Abi presenting
The 2022 winner, Abi, presented her speech to the audience.

The annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest, established in 1974 by the directors of the C. Henry Smith Trust, offers PACS students an opportunity to discuss peacebuilding and social justice issues on campus. The intercollegiate competition is administered by the Peace and Justice Ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Undergraduate students from every Mennonite and Brethren in Christ college in North America, including Canada, are eligible to participate. 

Henry Smith was an American Mennonite historian and professor at Mennonite colleges and the University of Chicago. Overall, he taught history for nearly 50 years at the collegiate level. He is well-known for his numerous books on Mennonite history and his particular attention to the peace commitments of the Mennonite tradition.  

On March 8, 2023, at 7 PM in the Grebel Gallery in the Kindred Center for Peace for Advancement (CPA), PACS is organizing a speech performance and is inviting you to participate. The contest winners will be rewarded with cash prizes of $400 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third place.For more information, reach out to the PACS Academic Advisor.

To learn more about the contest and meet previous PACS or Grebel resident participants, visit this link here.

Application deadline - February 28, 2023 

Ryan Bromley on beige background in blue shirt and tie
Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Student Profile: Ryan Bromley

Ryan Bromley is a 3A Arts and Business student with a Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) major. Ryan was a fall 2021 Enterprise Co-op pitch winner. Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) is a co-op pathway that allows students to pursue an entrepreneurial co-op option in which students start their businesses while earning a co-op credit. Ryan’s original pitch was to create a “Peace to co-op” business that would teach university students critical personal and professional skills related to PACS. Throughout the work term, Ryan displayed incredible flexibility, drive, and vision in his journey through the term as he worked towards a dream that extends beyond the four months of the co-op.

Monday, March 28, 2022

Student Profile: Abbey Tiernan

Abbey Teirnan

When Abbey began her co-op position last spring, she struggled to see how her Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) education could be relevant to her work. Now that she has finished her co-op position, she can hardly fathom a position where PACS would not apply – at least in some capacity.

"PACS Bi-Weekly Newsletter: January 19, 2021" with northern lights background.
Wednesday, January 19, 2022

PACS Bi-Weekly Newsletter - January 19, 2022

Hello PACS Students! I hope that everyone is settling into their semester well as the third week of classes is underway. This newsletter contains job opportunities, events, and resources you might use in the coming weeks and months.

Upcoming Events

Notre Dame Student Peace Conference 

Henry Smith Contest Graphic

PACS Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest

The annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest, established in 1974 by the directors of the C. Henry Smith Trust offers PACS students an opportunity to discuss peacebuilding and social justice issues on campus. The intercollegiate competition is administered by the Peace and Justice Ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Undergraduate students from every Mennonite and Brethren in Christ college in North America including Canada are eligible to participate. 

Indigenous Mennonite Encounters in Time and Place: A Gathering of Mind Body and Spirit

Indigenous Mennonite Encounters: A Gathering of Body, Mind, and Spirit

Indigenous Mennonite Encounters in Time and Place

This academic conference and community education event will offer stories and analyses of encounters and relationships between Indigenous peoples and Mennonite settlers from point of contact through to the present.