In December 2016, an anonymous donor gave a $300,000 gift to help fund the launch of the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP) at Binghamton University.

The institute will develop a certified minor and graduate certificate for BU students, as well as facilitate research in the field. It will be the ninth institute for advanced studies hosted at the University, among the Center for Israel Studies and the Evolutionary Institute. The donor has also pledged undisclosed additional funding over the next four years.

Owen Pell, ‘80, a partner at White & Case LLP in New York City and litigator for cases concerning human rights and reparations, will facilitate the program. Pell is also the chairman of the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, a national organization that trains government officials on genocide and mass atrocity avoidance.

Pell originally introduced the idea for the I-GMAP to Provost Donald Nieman because he believed that further investigation into this subject was not only a great educational opportunity but also imperative in averting disasters. After hearing the idea, Nieman compiled a comprehensive proposal to give to potential donors that explained in detail his vision for the program.

“We see the need for research and new ideas in how to understand the causes and ways to prevent genocide and mass atrocity crimes,” Pell wrote in an email. “Finding a major research university that was willing to make the commitment not only to teach about this subject in an organized and coordinated way, but to invest resources in having faculty and graduate students work on developing new courses and curricula in this field was crucial.”

Associate professor of public administration Nadia Rubaii and professor of philosophy Max Pensky will co-direct the I-GMAP.

“The overarching goal of the I-GMAP is to elevate the quality, visibility and use of scholarship in the prevention of genocides and other mass atrocities, and to ensure that Binghamton University students and graduates are aware of historical and current examples, understand the multitude of factors which predict these events and have the personal resolve, knowledge and skills to do their part in preventing or stopping future incidents,” Rubaii wrote in an email.

The University has recently begun looking for space to house the I-GMAP, and research proposals for the program can now be submitted by faculty and doctoral students.

Starting next year, undergraduate students can declare a genocide and mass atrocity prevention minor and learn about the topic in a newly formed class, Fundamentals of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, taught by Pensky. The minor will also require students to take already existing classes from various disciplines. In the spring of 2018, the University plans to host an annual conference that will be open to students and researchers.

“The conference will bring together scholars from Binghamton and other universities, as well as practitioners who work with governments and non-governmental organizations in preventing mass atrocities,” Nieman wrote in an email. “The purpose is to share cutting edge research and promote interchange between scholars and practitioners who can use this knowledge to better understand the conditions that give rise to mass violence and use it to prevent mass atrocities.”

Rubaii and Pensky are currently in the process of developing one of the country’s first genocide prevention master’s programs. As of now, only George Mason University’s genocide prevention program in the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution is similar.

“Binghamton’s new I-GMAP will be the first of its kind at a public university within a highly reputable state system like SUNY to bring together a range of interrelated activities – academic programs, conferences, post-doctoral fellowships, practitioners-in-residence, research grants, etc. – for a comprehensive approach to examining and responding to the tragic and all too frequent incidents of genocide,” Rubaii wrote.

There will be a launch celebration for the I-GMAP on April 20 in New York City. United Nations Special Rapporteur Pablo de Greiff will speak at the ceremony.