The Office of Student Life and Graduate Student Council teamed up to host the first event of a Leadership Series, entitled “Being and Peacemaker” featuring Simon Amare Tekeba, Secretary General of Universal Peace Federation (UPF) and Ethiopia National Leader of FFWPU. The event was held on Monday, March 10th, and drew over a dozen participants, mainly from the Asian and African continents. Simon gave a presentation about his role working with UPF, the history of Ethiopia, including the religious, social, and political challenges and opportunities there, as well as his work with the...

Wendweson Fikire currently serves as Treasurer on the Graduate Student Council, and previously served on the GSC for the 2023-2024 academic year. He is originally from Ethiopia. What inspired you to apply to HJI and your program? What do you most appreciate about being a student at HJI? HJI focuses on academic knowledge, peace, and reconciliation regardless of culture, religion, or ethnicity. HJI strives and is committed to raising leaders who can be instrumental in reconciliation efforts among nations in conflict, where many religious-affiliated institutions have not yet tried to...

Dear HJI Alumni and Friends of HJI, Thank you for your continued support, friendship and encouragement as we—our faculty and staff—continue to strive to honor the legacy and  build toward the future of this great institution, celebrating the 50th anniversary since welcoming its first class of students in 1975.  We are continually inspired by the students who, year after year, come to study at HJI. They continue to be students of high caliber who carry forward HJI’s great tradition of academic excellence, commitment to the wider community, to ministry and to...

What inspired you to apply to HJI and your program? What do you most appreciate about being a student at HJI? As a teacher at a premier public high school for over 25 years, I knew I wanted to do something special and different for the rest of my life. Memories of my many years in children’s and youth ministry are joy-filled and deeply satisfying. I held onto a sense of doing something like that again: diving into something that concerned communicating God’s love, wisdom, history and grace.  Once I jumped into a master’s level class in the Fall of 2021, my expectations were...

On January 24-26, 2025 HJI convened its 2nd International Conference on Peace and Public Leadership, with a focus on the theme of “New Directions in Unificationism: A Time for Consideration.” In addition to several HJI faculty members and students, the participants included Dr. Eileen Barker, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics; Dr. Peter Akerback, University of Stockholm; Dr. Holly Folk, Western Washington University; Mr. Daniel Fromson, an editor and writer for the New York Times; Rev. Dr. Willie Weston, an ACLC Pastor; and Dr. Minyoung Moon, a...

The HJI 2024 Annual Report highlights many of the exciting programs and key developments from the past year. Click on the link below to discover how HJI is making an impact. We appreciate your interest and support in our ongoing work. Read the 2024 Annual Report

Staff and faculty had a joyful and meaningful time connecting with one another on campus during a holiday luncheon, held on December 19. Steven Boyd, Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Life, gave warm welcoming remarks. An invocation was given by Dr. Thomas Ward, Professor of Peace and Development. After singing a holiday song, a reading on the birth of Jesus was followed by comments and sharing of various religious perspectives from faculty members, Dr. Andrew Wilson, Professor of Scriptural Studies, Dr. Michael Mickler, Distinguished Professor of Historical Studies, Dr. Jacob...