Page 4 – HJ International

Dr. Sakena Yacoobi’s Commencement Address

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Dr. Sakena Yacoobi was the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate during HJI’s 2025 Commencement Ceremonies held on May 231 at 4 West 43rd St. Dr. Yacoobi is the Educator and Founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning, and former recipient of the Sunhak Peace Prize. What follows is the Commencement Address of Dr. Yacoobi. First of all I would like to thank some special people, Dr. Reverend Moon and Mother Moon, because if they were not there, none of us would be here. I really appreciate their efforts and their leadership. Second, I would like to thank another special individual who has...

President’s Address at the 49th Commencement

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Thomas G. Walsh, Ph.D., President, HJI Trustees, Faculty, Staff, Graduates, Family, Friends and Alumni!!! Thank you all for being here today for the 49th commencement ceremony of HJI. Congratulations once again to our Class of 2025 graduates, the 49th graduating class for this great institution. The 49th Commencement Ceremony marks a milestone in the 50 year history since the founding of our institution by our True Parents in September of 1975. This was only a few years after they had first come to this country to carry out their ministry. Their decision was...

Student Luncheon at HJI

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by Associate Dean Mika Deshotel Prior to the 49th HJI Commencement activities, held on Saturday, May 31, 2025, 17 currently enrolled students, along with some spouses, gathered in the Oak Room at the 4W 43rd campus for an informal celebration luncheon. The purpose of the luncheon was to celebrate the completion of a fruitful Spring semester, as well as honor the students who were planning to graduate later that afternoon. Each student introduced themselves and Mika Deshotel, Associate Dean of Student Life, officially welcomed everyone. She shared about having had the honor of reading...

Honorary Doctorate To Be Conferred Upon Dr. Sakeena Yacoobi

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HJ International Graduate School for Peace and Public Leadership is proud to announce the conferral of an honorary doctorate upon Dr. Sakeena Yacoobi as part of its 49th Commencement Ceremony. The event will take place on Saturday, May 31th at 2:00 pm ET at 4 West 43rd Street, New York, NY. Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, known as the mother of Afghan education, has been a pioneering and devoted educator of refugees for 24 years working under the conviction that education is key to social reconstruction. Dr. Yacoobi began educating teachers and establishing schools for boys and girls in Afghan...

Research Day Postponed to October

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Respected HJI Faculty and Students, Please be advised that HJI Research Day, a highlight of our institutional profile, is scheduled this year for Wednesday October 22, 2025. While ordinarily convened in the Spring, we have postponed Research Day to the fall, which gives everyone more time to prepare. Please keep that date in mind. We strongly encourage our students, faculty and alumni to participate in Research Day 2025. Share your research project with our wider community. Additional announcements will follow as details for Research Day 2025 become clarified.

Does Switzerland’s neutrality have an expiration date?

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On May 16 HJ International Graduate School for Peace and Public Leadership co-hosted a special program with the Research Institute for the Integration of World Thought (RIIWT) on “Does Switzerland’s neutrality have an expiration date?” Neutrality has long been part of Switzerland’s image in the world and its history spans half a millennium. It is an armed neutrality that has allowed Switzerland to remain unscathed during the two World Wars. It is also a reason why many international organizations related to the UN are headquartered in Geneva, the birthplace of the Geneva Conventions and...

Student Spotlight – Susan Bouachri

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Susan Bouachri, Master of Div, New York USA What inspired you to apply to HJI and your program? What do you most appreciate about being a student at HJI? I started by taking a few courses in search of educational and spiritual stimulation and inspiration. I decided to matriculate as I got interested in working in Chaplaincy and realized a degree would be required. Share about the benefits of your online learning experience. Easy to participate with a program that is entirely online. Stimulating to join with students from other locations, including other countries who may be...

Our Future with AI – Part II: Theological Anthropology, Alignment and Eschatology

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HJI was pleased to co-host with the Higher Purpose Forum (HPF) “Our Future With AI – Part II: Theological Anthropology, Alignment and Eschatology,” held on Wednesday, May 7. Artificial intelligence (AI) is already integrated into almost every area of human activity. The exponential advance in the performance of machine learning has repeatedly exceeded expectations. Will the advent of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) usher in a radically new and disruptive epoch in human, or post human history? What impact will AGI/ASI have on the...

Our Future with AI: Bright Horizon or Dark Fate?

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On March 12, HJI co-hosted a special program with the Higher Purpose Forum (HPF) entitled “Our Future with AI: Bright Horizon or Date Fate?” Self-driving cars, facial recognition, and ChatGPT – these are just a few examples of the rapidly advancing tide of artificial intelligence. Will AI unlock unprecedented levels of human productivity and creativity, or will it reshape the world in a way that leaves many of us on the sidelines? Hear from an AI maximalist, an AI existentialist, and a religious scholar, then join the conversation. Our speakers include Mr. Zach Goodwin, Founder and CEO...