International & Global Studies
John and Erma Stutzman Peace Fellows Program
The John and Erma Stutzman Peace Fellows Program was created in 2007 with the purpose of encouraging talented Illinois Wesleyan University students to pursue focused study in areas involving peace, conflict resolution, and social justice, areas that reflect the broader university mission.
- Students who are selected into the program complete three approved courses as well as an independent study and an internship related to their area of interest.
- A small fund is available to assist students in fulfillment of program requirements and an advisory faculty panel helps Peace Fellows to complete the program in a successful and timely manner.
- To date, our Peace Fellows have pursued interests involving illegal child immigrants, environmental racism, the social construction of disability, human rights reconciliation efforts in South Africa, and post-conflict educational reform in Bosnia.
Program Components:
- Limited number of Fellowships based on application process
- Stipend to support program-related activities: research, internship, etc.
- Course work: three courses, selected from a list. These courses may or may not be in the major
- Independent study (which may be the basis for Honors Research)
- Appropriate internship (may be local, national, or international
- Faculty mentor
Core Course List:
- HIST 221 The Holocaust
- HIST 354 United States Foreign Relations since 1914
- INST 222/322 International Human Rights
- PHIL 204 Introduction to Ethical Theory
- PHYS 239 Problems of Nuclear Disarmament
- PSCI 303 International Law and Organizations
- PSCI 302 Social Movements
- PSYC 334 Psychology of Racism
- SOC 395/PSCI 395 Action Research Seminar
- SPAN 240 Spanish for Social Justice
Application Process:
- Peace Fellows Application
- Statement of Interest
- Two letters of recommendation. At least one must be an academic reference
- Interview
Steering Committee:
- Irving Epstein (Education-Emeritus) iepstein@iwu.edu
- William Munro (International Studies) wmunro@iwu.edu
- Jim Simeone (Political Science) jsimeone@iwu.edu
Current Peace Fellows
Vân Lê - 2025 Peace Fellow
Vân is a senior with a double major in Political Science and International & Global Studies. She is passionate about human rights and, more specifically, about food rights. Her Eckley Summer Fellowship research focuses on how colonialism shaped food culture and social dynamics in Vietnam. After her study abroad trip to South Africa in May 2025, she was inspired to explore food security policy in South Africa for her case study paper. Her Senior Seminar research project examines the effectiveness of the food security policy in Ethiopia through analyzing the policy institution structure. Vân is also passionate about her local communities. She started her own fundraising campaigns for different non-profit organizations (NOLA Women’s Shelter, WFP, the Trevor Project) when she was a senior in high school, through selling her artwork. On campus, she held many leadership positions, such as co-founder of the Titan Arts Society RSO, vice president of the Multilingual Accessibility Club, and current president of the Pi Sigma Alpha chapter. After graduation, Vân hopes to become a Peace Corps volunteer and attend graduate school.
Melinda Burgin - 2024 Peace Fellow
Melinda is a senior with a double major in Political Science and Studio Art, and one of her biggest passions is advocating for global environmental justice. She has had the opportunity to study global climate inequity and how it can be rectified both as an Eckley Scholar in 2023 and as a recipient of the ESSE Fellowship in 2024, and plans to continue her work this year. Currently in the process of planning her senior art show, she also makes work on the themes of climate justice and equity, mainly in sculpture and glass. Melinda also values promoting democratic values and civic engagement on campus. As a leader in Pi Sigma Alpha, she has collaborated with the administration and other students to plan engaging programming around the 2024 Presidential Elections, and as a Multifaith Ambassador, she works to promote inclusivity and help students build the skills necessary for productive dialogue across differences. After graduation, she plans to attend law school and pursue a career in international human rights law.
MJ Soria - 2022 Peace Fellow
MJ Soria is a freshman majoring in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing. She is interested in prison advocacy and exoneration for people wrongfully convicted of crimes. After researching the case of the “Central Park Five”, MJ became interested in wrongful convictions and racism in the prison system. On campus, she is a staff writer for the Argus, on the publishing board for Tributaries, Vice President of Philosophy club, a Jennings Scholar, and a member of the Pride Club and APAC. When she graduates, MJ hopes to go to grad school to study English and work with advocacy groups in prison reform.
Fiona Doran - 2022 Peace Fellow
Fiona Doran is part of Illinois Wesleyan’s class of 2025, from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her time in the magnet school system gave her fire for education and equity, encouraging her to major in Elementary Education and Art. Fiona has devoted lots of personal time to demanding that all people have safe places. She created a sexual assault prevention organization at her high school as a sophomore. Presently, you can find Fiona working in the IDEA center or in the art building. If you look closely at the poster boards around campus, you can find some of her art; hidden away, soon to make someone smile. In the future, Fiona hopes to help even more. As someone who benefited tremendously from the kindness of others, Fiona hopes to give on the same compassion. To be the friend you can lean on, the camp counselor you can confide in, the student-teacher who understands you, and the art teacher who provides for you. By creating these mini pockets of sanctuary, she believes the world will become a better place.
William Munro - Betty Ritchie-Birrer '47 and Ivan Birrer, Ph.D. Endowed Professor of Political Science
Department - Political Science