St. Norbert College Receives Competitive Grant to Pilot Peacemaking Initiative in the Region

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From St. Norbert College, September 28, 2017
by Matthew Matuszak, matthew.matuszak@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

The Cassandra Voss Center (CVC) at St. Norbert College is the recipient of a $5,000 grant from Campus Compact's Fund for Positive Engagement for the 2017-18 academic year. The grant will assist the CVC in piloting a new initiative called the Olive Branch Initiative, aiming to bring the community together to share stories from, and engage with, different perspectives. St. Norbert College is one of only 40 colleges and universities nationwide to receive the grant.

The selection process was extremely competitive, with more than 300 submissions for grants. The criteria of the selection process included the following criteria: the project must engage with divergent or unfamiliar perspectives to foster empathy and understanding; the project must develop positive relationships across differences to lift up our common humanity; and the project must engage in collaborative problem-solving to strengthen social ties and civic vitality. Overall, grant submissions were assessed on the strength of how a project would address the challenge named by the institution and lead to positive change.

The Cassandra Voss Center was built in 2013 to honor the life of Cassandra J. Voss, who died in a car accident in 2007 at the age of 21 during her senior year at St. Norbert College. The center provides a collaborative learning environment for the study of women and gender using an integrated educational approach connecting theory, research, experiential learning and co-curricular development.

For more information about the Cassandra Voss Center or the Olive Branch Initiative, contact Jaime Gonzalez, assistant director of the CVC, at 920-403-1342 or jaime.gonzalez@snc.edu.