WASHINGTON, PA (Nov. 1, 2017) International Peace Negotiator Mary Montague has returned to Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) as the fall 2017 J. Robert Maxwell ’43 Visiting Scholar, presenting her lecture “Relinquishing Power: the Heart and Soul of Mediation” on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. in Allen Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public.
Montague, a native of Belfast, Ireland, has spent decades promoting peace around the world. She acted as a mediator in the Northern Ireland conflict, where she worked to support the development of the ceasefires and the Good Friday Agreement, a major political development in the Northern Ireland Peace Process. In addition, she co-founded the non-profit organization TIDES Training & Consultancy, which gives ex-combatant groups and security leaders a place to recover from trauma they endured during the conflict and discuss their experience in an effort to create sustainable peace.
She also has mediated tensions in several other areas in crisis, including Kosovo, the Balkans, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, the Middle East, Asia, and Northern Africa. Last year, she trained Woman Peace Builders for projects in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia.
In previous visits to W&J, Montague has served as a peacemaker in residence, working with the W&J campus and Washington community, and given public lectures on “Us and Them: The Nature of Peace and Conflict” and “Alien-Nation: Relationships and Reconciliation, Relationships that Transcend Separation and Disconnection.”
Montague has been widely recognized for her peacemaking efforts and was awarded peace prizes from International Mediators Beyond Borders and the Schwelle Foundation in Bremen, Germany, in 2015.
About the J. Robert Maxwell ’43 Visiting Scholar Series
Endowed in 2010, the J. Robert Maxwell ’43 Visiting Scholar Series provides the Washington & Jefferson College community, including students, faculty, staff and interested citizens, access to a wider array of viewpoints, opinions and practices from distinguished and influential leaders.
J. Robert Maxwell (Class of 1943) was a lawyer, community leader and trustee emeritus of W&J. He received a Certificate in Meteorology from the University of Chicago, then served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy until the end of World War II. After the war, Maxwell entered Harvard Law School, graduating in 1949.
Throughout Maxwell’s life, he was an ardent servant of W&J. He was president of the General Alumni Association and of the Allegheny County Alumni Association, service for which he received the W&J Award of Merit in 1958. He was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1965 and served as an active member until he was appointed a Trustee Emeritus in 1985. Through his many years of service, Maxwell provided leadership and guidance with great wisdom and delightful good humor.
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.