September 11, 2008
For Immediate Release
For an Interview:
Deb Sawyer
(801) 364-2971
Michael Minch, associate professor of philosophy at UVU and director of the University’s Peace and Justice Studies program, will be honored at the annual Gandhi Birthday Celebration September 28 at 5 p.m. at the International Peace Gardens at Jordan Park at 1060 S 900 W in Salt Lake City. He will be joined by fellow recipient George Cheney, director of the University of Utah Barbara and Norman Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy and Peace and Conflict Studies Program .
The Gandhi Peace Award is presented annually by the Gandhi Alliance for Peace, a local activist group preserving the memory and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
In announcing its selections, the Gandhi Alliance board of directors noted that both Minch and Cheney not only lead respected academic programs that teach and conduct research on the conditions and processes of peace, but both men and their programs also reach out in a practical way to engage their communities.
“The scientific study of peace couldn’t be more urgent,” said Alliance President Deb Sawyer. “It is heartening to know that scholars are doing research on this most important issue and sharing their work with their students and communities.”
Minch earned a bachelor’s degree from Grand Canyon College, a Master of Divinity degree from the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctoral degree from the University of Utah.
As an associate professor at UVU, Minch specializes in political and moral theory and coordinates the annual Dialogue on Peace and Justice, a three-day conference which includes guest speakers, workshops and panel discussions. In addition to directing the Peace and Justice Studies program, Minch serves on the Religious Studies Committee.
Minch is co-editor of a book titled, “Living Ethics” (Wadsworth Publishing Co.), a comprehensive anthology of writings that focus the reader on the practical value of ethical reflection published by Wadsworth Publishing Co. The book will be released this year.
“My life in ministry and academia has always had a strong component of activism,” said Minch, who has lead groups to Haiti and Mexico to build an orphanage and homes. He was a participant in meetings that launched Witness for Peace and, working for the American Baptist Churches, monitored a $40 million investment portfolio with regard to corporations’ environmental and social policies.
The event is free and open to the public.
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