Notes from the Director

June 4, 1994 - April 5, 1999: two historic dates. The first date marks the "go-ahead" by President Joseph Crowley to establish a Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Peace Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno; the second marks the final approval of all our HGPS courses and our bona fide academic minor program in HGPS—the first ever at the university level in our state. During the past five years, the Center has become recognized for its singular three-way focus on the uniqueness and universality of the Holocaust on the one hand, the additional emphasis on comparative genocides and mass murders in the 20th century on the other, and thirdly, its emphasis on seeking peaceful solutions to conflict.

This emphasis, and the linking of genocide studies with peace studies, is being recognized by other academic institutions as well. We have received several requests for permission to use or modify our concept and establish similar centers in other parts of the country.

But more important than this is the fact that our own UNR students seem to understand the importance of studying HGPS. Our pilot course last spring semester drew more than 30 students; this years, the enrollment for HGPS 201 was at a phenomenal number of 70+ students!

We have even more to celebrate. Seth Reinheimer will be the first UNR student to graduate (BA in English) with a minor in HGPS. Others will follow, and as they move on, they will bring to many walks of life their thoughtfulness, their concern for the world's welfare, and their activism. HGPS is a magnet for students who think critically and act responsibly. HGPS students are truly very special people. In this newsletter we will highlight some of their reactions to HGPS 201.

To support our distinguished HGPS students, we recently established a scholarship fund. (See below for more information). We also want to point to three new courses in HGPS to be offered during the fall semester 1999. (See below for more information).

My special thanks today goes to those, who have supported us financially to make this newsletter possible. Their contribution is invaluable to us. We appreciate Lois Parker, Ph.D.; Louis Levy, M.D.; Christa Hertling Herring; Ernest Harwig; Skip Rush; The Portrait Workshop of Reno; Renate Neumann; Ruth Dickens; and the Abraham and Sonia Rochlin Foundation.

I also want to thank our student volunteers Amber Martin, Suzanne Rhodes and Seth Reinheimer who helped with typing, proofreading, and mailing the newsletter. Seth Reinheimer, Shelly Lescott-Leszczynski, and Brad Lucas gave especially generously of their time, and I appreciate their editing, layout expertise, and computer skills.

As always, I want to thank my Board of Directors for their assistance and support. They are the life and soul of the Center and its backbone. They provide input on a regular basis and give encouragement and thoughtful suggestions for new avenues of inquiry. Without their intellectual sustenance and their moral commitment the Center could not be what is has become.

Viktoria Hertling