While on a trip to Bangladesh with a group of students over winter break, visiting assistant professor of economics Shannon Mudd spotted something that reminded him of Haverford. On the campus of the University of Dhaka, Mudd, who coordinates the Microfinance and Impact Investing Initiative (MI3), saw a peace pole, a handcrafted monument reading “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in several languages, that was planted in a campus park.
The pole is part of a project of the World Peace Prayer Society, which aims to symbolize “the oneness of humanity and our common wish for a world at peace; remind us to think, speak and act in the spirit of peace and harmony; and stand as a silent visual for peace to prevail on earth.” The WPPS estimates that there are some 200,000 peace poles that have been dedicated on every country on earth.
The Bangladeshi monument looked familiar to Mudd because we have a peace pole here on campus. Ours was dedicated in April 2008 and sits near Chase Hall.
Had you noticed the peace pole before? Did you realize it was part of an international movement?
From Haverford to Bangladesh: A Message of Peace
Shannon Mudd, visiting assistant professor of economics and coordinator of the Microfinance and Impact Investing Initiative (MI3), noticed a peace pole similar to the one outside of Chase Hall here on campus during his travels in Bangladesh.
