The celebration may have looked different this year, but the excitement was just the same.
Instead of an evening reception as in years past, this year the Kroc Institute, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, hosted a celebratory breakfast on May 15 for graduating seniors earning a supplementary major or an interdisciplinary minor in peace studies. Families, friends and members of the Keough School community were invited to honor students and their accomplishments, and the 16 graduating seniors were recognized with a certificate of completion and a special gift.
“You, our graduating class, give substance and shape to our hope for the future of peace in our world,” said Director of Undergraduate Studies Ernesto Verdeja, who offered opening remarks.
“During your time in the peace studies program and at Notre Dame, you have developed a rich intellectual understanding of the challenges we face, considered possible pathways toward solutions, and applied your learning by engaging in service, scholarship, public speaking and activism for peace and justice.
“Today, we celebrate your accomplishments with you,” said Verdeja.
Asher Kaufman, John M. Regan, Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute, also welcomed students and guests.
“The last few years have not been easy for us as a peace institute, with wars in the Middle East, violence and conflict spanning from Venezuela to South Sudan to Ukraine, and a systematic dismantling of peacebuilding agencies and democratic backsliding in the United States,” said Kaufman.
“All to say that peace studies graduates from the Kroc Institute are more needed now in our world than ever—and you here have the analytical and practical tools to make a difference.”
Following the distribution of certificates, the soon-to-be graduates were greeted as the newest members of the peace studies alumni network.
“Thirty-nine years ago, just before he retired as Notre Dame’s president, Fr. Hesburgh launched an innovative new program at Notre Dame, then called a ‘concentration in peace studies,’ which in 1987 graduated its first four students,” said Anne Hayner, associate director for Alumni Relations.
“With the support of Joan Kroc the peace studies program has grown into a vibrant institute now offering programs at the undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. levels, which together enroll dozens of students every year.
“The Kroc Institute is often listed as one of Fr. Hesburgh’s greatest legacies, but in fact it is you, the peace studies graduates, who are his living legacy. Congratulations to each of you, and welcome to the global network of peacebuilders,” said Hayner.
The recognition event also included the announcement of the Kroc Institute's annual undergraduate awards, which recognized graduates Madeleine (Maddie) Colbert, Jacob (Coby) McKeown, and Meghan Ellis.
Senior Award in Peace Studies
Maddie Colbert, who offered a blessing before breakfast began, was honored with this year’s Senior Award in Peace Studies. This honor is given annually to a senior who demonstrates both academic excellence and a future commitment to peace and justice in the world.
Colbert graduated with a major in global affairs, a major in theology, and a minor in peace studies. Her time at Notre Dame was marked by extensive engagement in service and experiential learning both on campus and in her home community. She was a long time active volunteer with Campus Ministry and BridgeND, interned at The Family Place in Dallas, and worked as an international visitors department intern with the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth. She also completed summer study abroad courses in Rome and Uganda which focused, respectively, on Catholic approaches to peacebuilding, and religion, peace, and development in Africa.
Last summer, Colbert was selected to be one of Notre Dame's student representatives in a delegation of U.S. Catholic universities traveling to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, for the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing. As part of that delegation, she spent a week engaged in dialogue around the future of nuclear disarmament with Japanese bishops, community leaders, and university students. She then spent the last year organizing and facilitating a series of student disarmament webinars offered by the Catholic Peacebuilding Network, the voluntary group of lay and clerical peacebuilding practitioners and academics administered by the Kroc Institute.
“What I have loved most about peace studies at the Kroc Institute is its ability to embrace both the deeply human and the academically-complex,” said Colbert. “My experience here has given me the tools to evaluate and address real, complex issues while prioritizing the dignity of the human person.”
After graduation, she will spend a year doing service work with Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Baltimore, Maryland, supporting faith and justice work at a local parish.
Senior Seminar Essay Award
The Senior Seminar Essay Award recognizes the research excellence of peace studies majors and minors.
All students in peace studies complete a senior capstone course, which offers the opportunity to reflect on their place in the field and produce a substantive research paper. The professors of the course nominate the strongest papers from their sections, and the nominated essays are forwarded to a faculty committee for a blind review.
This year's first place award was given to Coby McKeown, who graduated with a major in English (creative writing concentration) and supplementary major in peace studies. McKeown’s paper, “Proposed U.S. Policies to Change the UAE's Involvement in the Sudan War," was written as part of the senior seminar taught by Gerard Powers.
The second place award went to Meghan Ellis, who graduated with a major in biological sciences and a supplementary major in peace studies. Ellis’ paper, "The Arc of Access: Assessing the Success of Three U.S. Disability Activist Campaigns," was written as part of the senior seminar taught by Laurie Nathan.
Originally published by at kroc.nd.edu on May 28, 2026.