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History
At the 1984 meeting of the international association of University Presidents in Bangkok, Thailand, University of Hawai'i President Albert Simone heard the President to the University of Peace in Costa Rica challenge the assembled university presidents to see that their institutions become more active in fostering a peaceful world. "Peace is not just a passive condition marked by the absence of war," he said. It is an active state requiring much human knowledge and effort to obtain and perpetuate. Peace-making and peace-keeping are skills important in our lives. "Is your university doing all it can to promote education for peace?" This was Dr. Carazo's question.
President Simone's first regular "Breakfast at College Hill" was on the topic of "War and Peace." Subsequent meetings of faculty and others resulted in action by the University Board of Regents in December 1985 to establish the Institute for Peace.
Some other universities have peace institutes and Hawai'i's own Senator Matsunaga was Chairman of the Commission which led to the establishment of the US Institute of Peace in 1984. Matsunaga expressed his hope that "every student enrolled in Hawai'i's public university system will be exposed to peace studies."
