George A. Lopez
George A. Lopez, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, will receive an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters during the St. John Fisher College, Rochester, New York, Commencement ceremony on May 12. In addition, Lopez, a 1972 alumni of Fisher, will deliver the keynote address.
“We are honored to have George return to Fisher and serve as our Commencement keynote speaker,” said Dr. Gerard J. Rooney, president of St. John Fisher College. “He is a highly regarded authority on international diplomacy, and his work has impacted the globe. His lifelong commitment to peace studies is reflective of the College’s motto and mission, and to have an alumnus of his stature address the next generation of Fisher graduates is truly humbling.”
Lopez is a leading expert on economic sanctions, peacebuilding, human rights and the United Nations. Throughout his 40-year career, his work in these areas has taken him to 20 countries.
For nearly two years, Lopez served as the vice president of the Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C., and prior to that served on the United Nations Panel of Experts for monitoring and implementing UN Sanctions on North Korea. He held a Senior Jennings Randolph Fellowship at USIP focused on new dimensions of sanctions policy and was a senior research associate at the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs in New York City, where he assisted in the Council’s post- 9-11 public programming throughout the United States.
“I'm truly humbled by the invitation to speak to the graduates and to receive an honorary degree from Fisher,” said Lopez, who studied history while at Fisher and earned a master’s and doctoral degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. "Every goal and any accomplishment I may have had as an academic or a practitioner comes from the personal, spiritual and academic growth that was cultivated in me at Fisher. Many times it became clear to me that goodness, discipline and knowledge are a combination that can go a long way to making the world a better place."
More than 1,000 students will graduate during the Commencement, which begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 12, 2018, at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester.
About the Kroc Institute: Notre Dame's Kroc Institute is one of the world's principal centers for the study of the causes of violent conflict and strategies for sustainable peace. The Kroc Institute offers BA and PhD degrees in peace studies and supports the International Peace Studies concentration of the Keough School Master of Global Affairs. The Kroc Institute is an integral part of the University of Notre Dame’s new Keough School of Global Affairs.