Virginia State University Earns Prestigious “Partner In Peace” Recognition Through The Dr. Charlie W. Hill Jr. Honors College

This semester, VSU students are leading peace education efforts with third graders at Pleasants Lane Elementary School in Petersburg.

Hill Fellows at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta

Virginia State University’s Dr. Charlie W. Hill Jr. Honors College has been named a 2025-2026 Partner in Peace through a prestigious collaboration between the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) and the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway. This international distinction recognizes VSU’s leadership in advancing peace education through innovative, community-based engagement.

“Being named a Partner in Peace reflects the Honors College’s commitment to leadership, scholarship, and service,” said Professor Arnold Westbrook, Assistant Director for Talent Development in the Honors College and leader of the VSU initiative. “This partnership allows our students to gain valuable hands-on experience in service-learning and civic engagement while connecting global ideas of peace and justice with real-world impact right here in Petersburg.”

The National Collegiate Honors Council, the largest organization supporting honors education worldwide, launched the Partners in Peace initiative to connect honors programs with the mission and legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize. VSU’s selection places the University among a limited group of institutions chosen to translate the global principles of Nobel Peace Prize laureates into meaningful action.

VSU’s participation in the initiative centers on a partnership between the Honors College and the Charlie Hill Leadership Institute, through which VSU students help guide third-grade students at Pleasants Lane Elementary School in Petersburg to explore peace concepts in age-appropriate, meaningful ways. VSU students prepared themselves for this initiative by first studying the lives and work of past Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, to examine peace leadership through visits to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, gaining firsthand insight into two Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Throughout the Spring 2026 semester, VSU students are using this knowledge to lead weekly peace education activities with third-graders, encouraging them to become advocates for peace in their communities.

(Left to right) Tyron Rice, Devyn Ingerick, and Enosh Minney, VSU students, engage with third-grade students at Pleasants Lane Elementary School in Petersburg.

“Working with the students at Pleasants Lane Elementary School has been truly empowering, allowing me to give back while fostering meaningful connections,” said Maya Carroll, a VSU Honors College scholar. “I especially enjoyed engaging them in learning about Nobel Peace Prize recipients and helping them see how they can be inspired to make a difference in the classroom and the world. I loved helping them feel a sense of belonging and that anything is possible. Recently, one of the students recognized me at Walmart, and her excitement reminded me just how impactful and inspiring it is to give back.”

“Working with the young leaders, and hopefully future Trojans, taught me the importance of teaching children at a young age the core moral values that will eventually shape the future,” echoed Honors College scholar, Hill Fellow, and current Mr. VSU, Melvin Cooper. “I also gained a new perspective from hearing the ideas of young minds.”

As one of the nation’s original 19 land-grant institutions, VSU is rooted in a mission of community engagement and public service. The Partners in Peace initiative reflects that mission by connecting Honors students with local elementary students to promote leadership, civic responsibility, and peacebuilding. By bridging higher and elementary education, the program fosters mentorship, leadership development, and intergenerational learning while reinforcing that peace can be practiced through everyday actions.

“We are extremely proud to have VSU selected as a Partner in Peace,” said Honors College dean, Dr. Daniel M. Roberts. “Our participation in this program will allow the amazing work of our students and the Pleasant Lane students to be recognized later this year in Oslo, Norway, at the Nobel Peace Center, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize.”

According to Westbrook, the goal is to expand the Partners in Peace program to additional grades and elementary schools in the area, inspiring more students to become advocates for peace.

Virginia State University is honored to be recognized with its Partners in Peace designation, which underscores the University’s growing national profile in transformative education and its continued commitment to empowering students to become leaders in their communities and beyond.