Giving the business to the troubles in Northern Ireland

Salt shakers
August 2001

Giving the business to the troubles in Northern Ireland
When 150 college students from Northern Ireland began classes at universities across the United States this August, they knew they were expected to bring home more than just good grades. If all goes as planned, they will return to Northern Ireland at the end of the school year with the education to strengthen their country's economy and the knowledge that Catholics and Protestants really can live together in peace.

Lofty goals, to be sure, but they're the reason 90 religious colleges in the United States have agreed to waive tuition fees for the year. The 150 students who come to the U.S. through the Business Education Initiative each year spend nine months studying business at Catholic, Presbyterian, or Methodist colleges.

"This is a concrete way in which institutions that are religiously affiliated in the United States are stepping out and clearly making a commitment to justice," says Michael Galligan-Stierle, the staff assistant for higher education and campus ministry at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Galligan-Stierle coordinates the participation of the Catholic colleges in the program.

"First and foremost we try to give the students who are coming knowledge of the world of economic growth, so that they can make a difference in the infrastructure of their country by becoming good business folks," Galligan-Stierle says. "By immersing them in American culture we also assist students in learning that there really is a way for Protestants and Catholics to live side-by-side in peaceful coexistence."

The idea for the program originated in the early 1990s in the Inter-Church Committee, a group that brings together Catholic and Protestant leaders from Northern Ireland and the U.S. During a 1993 economic downturn, the conflict in Northern Ireland was especially heated. The Inter-Church Committee leaders approached Duncan Ferguson, president of the Kentucky-based Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities, for help.

The committee proposed sending a small group of students to religious colleges in the U.S. to learn American approaches to business and to see how Protestants and Catholics relate in America. Ferguson agreed, and in 1994, 19 students began classes at 11 Presbyterian colleges. The next year Methodist colleges joined the program, and in its third year Catholic schools signed on. The list of participating schools changes a bit each year, but it is always evenly divided between each of the denominations. This year participants include Catholic Villanova University in Pennsylvania, Presbyterian Hastings College in Nebraska, and Methodist Texas Wesleyan University in Texas.

"The value for our institutions is that we live in a global community," Ferguson explains. "We're always looking for ways to internationalize our student bodies and these students make a contribution to our campuses."

But he stresses that the schools' decisions to participate relate directly to their religious traditions. "The primary motivation comes from our deep commitment to international peace and justice," he says. "We saw that the troubles in Ireland are a micro expression of a macro issue: How can people get along? This is a way of expressing that mission."

Ferguson also sees the program as an expression of ecumenism. "In the classic conflict between Catholics and Protestants, we found a way for there to be a wonderful collaboration," he says.

While the students all take business classes in the U.S., they often come to the program with backgrounds and interests in other areas. The Business Education Initiative staff in Northern Ireland selects the students based on their academic records and career goals. They've generally already completed two years of college study and will return to Northern Ireland for another year after their experience in the U.S.

While in America they're expected to maintain a GPA of 3.0. They also complete internships, speak to community groups about their country, and travel around the United States. The United Kingdom's Training and Employment Agency and the European Union finance the students' living and travel expenses, and the American colleges waive tuition costs.

"There's no way these students miss what a great opportunity this is," Galligan-Stierle says. "They're so excited; they see this as the opportunity of a lifetime."

Galligan-Stierle also sees this as an opportunity for the American colleges. "In my opinion, the more American institutions can be committed to systemic change, the quicker we come to building the kingdom of God."

And Ferguson believes the Business Education Initiative is making a difference in Northern Ireland. "I'm definitely optimistic that it's had an impact and helped students emerge as leaders," he says. "It's a small contribution, but a number of small contributions add up to a whole contribution to the larger peace process."—Anne Graber

For more information:
Business Education Initiative
Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities

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