In the chaotic and grief-filled aftermath, one of the three Nowak daughters, 23-year-old Francine, told a reporter that the best way of memorializing her mother and the other victims would be establishing a peace center at Virginia Tech.

In May 2008, Virginia Tech announced the establishment of a Center of Peace Studies and Violence Prevention (), with Nowak as its head. Promoting peace is a new life mission for Nowak, who previously headed Virginia Tech’s horticulture department.

EMU President Loren Swartzendruber (l.) meets with Jerzy Nowak, head of the new Center of Peace Studies and Violence Prevention at Virginia Tech. Photo by Jon Styer

Nowak led a group of 11 from Virginia Tech to EMU Thursday, Jan. 22, to meet with its president, academic leaders in conflict transformation and students studying peacebuilding.

“I knew almost nothing about Eastern Mennonite before I started exploring how to set up our peace studies program,” said Nowak. “But amongst numerous information packages and offers of collaboration I have received, I found its peace program to be fascinating and one of the most highly regarded.”

EMU’s is also the closest to Virginia Tech – just 2 1/2 hours by car on I-81. The Virginia Tech group observed an undergraduate class in justice, peace and conflict studies, met with professors and staff at EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), and learned how CJP’s Practice and Training Institute serves as a bridge between the theories and skills taught in the classroom and their application around the world.

Nowak had a particular interest in the global nature of EMU’s work – CJP has hosted students and practitioners from dozens of countries over the last 12 months – because he himself was born in Poland and has worked on agricultural matters in West Germany, Nigeria and Canada.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Virginia Tech in the growing movement to nurture seeds of peace within ourselves and in the world at large,” said EMU President Loren Swartzendruber. “The more of us in the peace business, the better.”

Nowak’s wife, 49-year-old Jocelyne, was teaching an intermediate French class in room 211 at Norris Hall on the morning of April 16, 2007, when she heard the gunfire of Seung-Hui Cho. She led her students to barricade the door with a desk and ushered them away from the door. The barricade did not stop Cho. Couture-Nowak and 11 of the 22 registered in her class perished. Couture-Nowak died in front of the door and next to the teacher’s desk.

She has been memorialized with the Jocelyne Couture-Nowak Terrace Garden at Virginia Tech, as well as with a scholarship in her name awarded annually to French majors. Students at Virginia Tech have also organized a new foreign language program named “Teach for Madame” in honor of Couture-Nowak, wherein members teach French to elementary school students.

And last, but not least, her husband now heads a peace center in the building where she died.

Rory O. Maguire, Ph.D.

Rory O. Maguire will speak 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 in room 104 of the Suter Science Center on “Moving Towards Phosphorus-Based Nutrient Management Plans: Issues and Options.”

Dr. Maguire is an assistant professor in the department of crop and soil environmental sciences at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg.

“The problem of agricultural fertilizer run-off and the resultant pollution of our local streams and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay is an issue for area farmers and agribusiness persons,” said Roman J. Miller, Daniel B. Suter professor of biology at EMU. “Dr. Maguire will describe this problem but also offer some practical stewardship solutions that enhance the environment.

“This seminar will be of special interest to students, environmentalists and local agriculturalists,” Dr. Miller added.

Other scheduled seminars focus on similar environmental issues like “Food and Our Future: Hope and Solutions through Biointensive Farming“, “Environmental Ethics and Christian Theology” and “Climate Change and Human Evolution: Evidence from the Fossil Record of East Africa.”

The seminar series is sponsored by the Daniel B. Suter Endowment. Dr. Suter joined the EMU science faculty in 1948 and became head of the biology department and developed the pre-med program. He retired in 1985 and died in 2006.

Refreshments will be served 15 minutes prior to the presentation.

Admission to the program is free. For more information, contact Roman J. Miller, (540) 432-4412 or millerrj@emu.edu.

EMU senior Lisa N. King of Harrisonburg led a “prayer of remembrance” and lit a candle at the close of the chapel service Wednesday, Apr. 16, the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings that left 33 people dead and more wounded.

Students, faculty and staff left the auditorium in silence as the chimes on the roof of Lehman Auditorium tolled for one minute.

Some students wore Hokie shirts or sweatshirts as a symbol of solidarity for the many people affected by the tragedy on the Blacksburg, Va., campus.

Persons are invited to gather at the fountain in the center of campus. Following a period of silence, the chapel chimes on the roof of Lehman Auditorium will ring, followed by a circle of prayer.

At Virginia Tech, 32 bell tolls will sound in memory of each victim, timed with the release of 32 white balloons from the Drillfield. A release of 1,000 orange and maroon balloons signifying Hokie unity and spirit will immediately follow. Classes are scheduled to resume on Monday.

“This one-week anniversary is significant, especially since classes will resume at Tech,” said Ken L. Nafziger, vice president for student life. “The EMU community wants to stand in solidarity with everyone there as well as continue to pray that the healing process can move forward,” Dr. Nafziger added.

The final exam period at EMU begins Monday afternoon, Apr. 23 and runs through 12:40 p.m. Friday, Apr. 27.

The service closed with candlelighting and opportunity for the campus community to pray individually and in small groups, remembering the Virginia Tech community’s tremendous loss in the wake of the Monday morning shootings on their campus, just three hours distance from EMU.

Campus ministries staff and pastoral assistants were available to minister to persons as needed.

Opportunities for Prayer and Support

• Watch the WHSV News Video Coverage of the Prayer Ceremony

  
  EMU will join other schools and organizations in observing a moment of silence at 9:45 a.m. Monday, Apr. 23, marking the one-week anniversary of the Virginia Tech campus shootings and loss of 32 lives.

• Candlelight Prayer Vigil:
  A prayer vigil scheduled for Wednesday, April 18, as a response to the showing of Invisible Children (Uganda) will now include prayers for the greater Virginia Tech community. Please meet on the front lawn at 9:30 p.m.

• Hokie Hope Day:
  Friday is Hokie Hope Day across the nation. Wear maroon and orange all day in solidarity with the VA Tech students, faculty, staff, families and alum.

• Talk with the Pastor:
  Campus Pastor Brian Martin Burkholder will host the campus community on Wednesday, April 18, in the Northlawn residence hall from 4-5 p.m. for prayer and support for the Virginia Tech community, as well as any EMU community members who may have direct connections to people affected by the tragedy.

• Sign a Banner:
  Students, faculty and staff are invited to sign a banner for VT that will be hand-delivered to Tech’s campus. The banner will be on display for at least the first hour of Springfest on the front lawn. The greater campus communities of JMU, Bridgewater, and Blue Ridge Community College are also participating.

• EMU’s Counseling Center continues to be available to students, faculty and staff in need of support. Call (540) 432-4317 for more information.

Campus Responds

“We are deeply saddened by the events unfolding on Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg, Va.,” wrote 草莓社区 provost Dr. Beryl Brubaker in a campus communiqu