David Ives, executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, has been appointed to the International Steering Committee for the Middle Powers Initiative. The focus of this group is the problem of nuclear weapons around the world, specifically the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The committee works with Middle Powers countries, such as Germany, Japan, Norway and Great Britain, providing briefings and workshops on nuclear weapons issues.

As a member of the committee, Ives will help to organize several public conferences on nuclear issues held at various locations around the world. The Schweitzer Institute will also become a member organization of the Middle Powers Initiative, joining organizations such as the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, the International Peace Bureau, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, the Global Security Institute and the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear War.

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Ben Page, professor of philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, and David Ives, executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, visited the grave of Albert Schweitzer in Lambarene, Africa. During the 2007 winter break, Ives led a group of faculty and staff members to Lambarene to visit the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, which houses a medical research unit that studies the causes and treatment of diseases affecting the local population. The trip was sponsored by the Albert Schweitzer Institute.

Several other groups also participated in community service trips sponsored by the institute during the break. Students and faculty members from the nursing and physical therapy departments and the School of Business traveled to Leon, Nicaragua. The nursing and physical therapy students visited Leon Municipal Hospital, one of the poorest hospitals of the western hemisphere, where they shadowed nurses, assessed patients and provided workshops on health practices for the medical staff of the hospital. The School of Business students offered a workshop on developing and planning a business to several local businesses.

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A collection of essays based on a conference held at the Albert Schweitzer Institute in 2005 was published in September 2007.

"Reverence for Life Revisited: Albert Schweitzer's Relevance Today," was edited by David T. Ives, executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, and David A. Valone, assistant professor of history.

The book, published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, may be ordered here. A sample chapter of the book, "Reason for Hope" by Jane Goodall, the keynote speaker at the conference, may also be viewed.
Read more about the book...

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The institute presented the first Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award to former President Jimmy Carter on Sept. 26, 2007. Carter delivered a lecture marking the 50th anniversary of Albert Schweitzer's call for an end to nuclear weapons. His lecture preceded a daylong conference, "Albert Schweitzer's Legacy: The Dangers of Nuclear Weapons."

• Read more about Jimmy Carter's lecture and view photos.
• Read the speech by Hirotami Yamada (PDF), secretary general of the Atomic Bomb Survivors Network in Nagasaki.
• Read the speech by Kohta Kiya (PDF), secretary General of the Atomic Bomb Survivors Network in Hiroshima.
• Learn more about Nihon Hidankyo (PDF), the only national organization of A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Hibakusha) in Japan.
• Read more about the conference.
• The institute held an essay contest on nuclear weapons and the future of humanity. The faculty-student jury awarded a grand prize of $200 to Lindsay Dillon for her essay, "Ending the Threat of a Nuclear Holocaust." Read the winning essay
• Two second prizes of $50 each went to Zach Dendas and Iva Naydenova. The awarded essays will be published by the Albert Schweitzer Institute in a commemorative volume.

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The institute co-sponsored a U.N. conference in June 2007, which recognized the 20th anniversary of the Central American Esquipulas peace treaty, which was designed to end bloody conflict in the region.

• Read more and view photos.
• Read two speeches made by Oscar Arias - morning speech(PDF) -- evening speech(PDF)
• Read the speech by U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon (PDF).
• Read the speech by David Ives, executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute (PDF).

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Fifty years ago, at the height of the Cold War, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer broadcast worldwide via radio his "Declaration of Conscience" that called for an end to nuclear testing and for the destruction of nuclear weapons. Check our our special section...

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"Images of Peace," a national juried art exhibition, was presented in Fall 2007. The exhibition was held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Albert Schweitzer's call for nuclear disarmament. Works explored the themes of nuclear disarmament, world peace and/or the life and work of Albert Schweitzer. Read more about the exhibit.

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Human rights activist and author Kerry Kennedy spoke at Quinnipiac as a guest of the Albert Schweitzer Institute in 2006. The daughter of Robert F. Kennedy urged students and others to make a passionate commitment to end violence in the world. Her lecture was part of the university’s recognition of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

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David Taylor Ives, executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, and Kathleen McCourt, senior vice president for academic affairs, attended the inauguration of Oscar Arias as the president of Costa Rica in 2006. Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and member of the Schweitzer honorary board, lectured at Quinnipiac in 2003.

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Former U.S. president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter joined the honorary board of the Albert Schweitzer Institute in 2006. Carter visited campus in September 2007 to deliver a keynote address at the 50th Anniversary of Albert Schweitzer's Call to End Nuclear Testing Conference Committee. Carter shared his insight on global issues, including nuclear disarmament.

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Jane Goodall, the world's leading authority on chimpanzees, drew more than 1,500 people to the Recreation Center on Oct. 28, 2005, when she delivered the keynote address to open the Albert Schweitzer Institute's conference "Reverence for Life Revisited: Albert Schweitzer's Relevance Today."

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Betty Williams, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her work against violence in her native Northern Ireland, spoke at Quinnipiac as a guest of the Albert Schweitzer Institute in 2004. Williams recounted many first-hand stories of the troubles and atrocities she has seen over her many years of work in her lecture "Giving the World's Children a Chance to Live."

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Former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, credited with reforming Mexico's public education, corporate debt and budget, and bringing economic development into his financially depressed nation, spoke at Quinnipiac as a guest of the Albert Schweitzer Institute in 2004. After meeting with students, he gave his lecture "The Effect of Globalization on Latin America" and inspired the University community to become more aware of international affairs.