Angela D. Nichols, Ph.D., Announced as PJHR Director

Image: In the classroom with Angela D. Nichols, Ph.d.

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Angela D. Nichols (Department of Political Science), currently serving as the Interim Director of the Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (PJHR), has been named as its official Director by the College.

Prior to assuming the interim leadership of PJHR, Dr. Nichols served for several years as the Center’s assistant director and in likeminded initiatives, such as a founding faculty member of the Barb Schmidt Fellowship. Her work examines the conditions and best practices for peace and restorative justice in regions plagued by war and human rights abuses. In particular, she has a long-standing research interest in the contributions and consequences of women’s participation in armed rebellion, particularly in Colombia.

PJHR is an officially designated university level research center, an accomplishment realized by a group of dedicated faculty and administrators including, notably, Dr. Nichols herself.  That achievement built upon many decades of peace studies work in the college and followed the establishment of the center’s principles having been enshrined in the current university strategic plan as a university platform, in effect since 2015. Throughout her positions as assistant director, interim director and now the full-time director of the Center, Dr. Nichols has nurtured this long tradition while exploring new ways to make PJHR more impactful, as she recently did in organizing a series of events around the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As a result of these efforts, the Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights is a globally recognized point of pride for the university and a vitalizing forum for supporting and showcasing faculty and student inquiry.

Having worked alongside Angie for many years, and on numerous endeavors, I cannot imagine a better Director to help guide the Center into its future. Congratulations to Angie!

Bill

William Trapani

Director, School of Interdisciplinary Studies – Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
President Elect – Faculty Senate, Florida Atlantic