Since launching a half century ago, Wayne State University's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS) has been a beacon for reconciliation and transformation in Detroit and beyond.  

On Nov. 12, the community will honor this legacy during the center's 50th anniversary celebration. The event kicks off with a reception at 5:30 p.m. at Byblos Banquet Center, located at 7258 Chase Road in Dearborn.  

The momentous occasion marks the center's pioneering efforts in providing programs in the areas of conflict resolution, violence reduction and international peacemaking.  
 
CPCS offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificate credentials for practitioners, and extensive community training and service provision in Detroit neighborhoods.  

The center also is actively engaged in intensive urban, international and public policy dispute settlement research and programs in the Middle East and Japan.  

In May 2015, professional dispute resolution experts from across the region gathered on WSU's campus as the center hosted the Urban Public Policy Resolution Conference, "Renewal and Reconciliation in Urban Contexts." The conference focused on lessons learned in dealing with challenges in urban finance, land and resources, public services, and ethnic and police-community relations.  

Frederic Pearson, CPCS director since 1990, said moving forward the center will focus additional efforts on prevention initiatives aimed at supporting and engaging youth. Each year, the center hosts the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute for Detroit-area high school students.  

Tickets for the celebration are $75 per person and can be purchased online at specialevents.wayne.edu/cpcs-50. Free valet parking is available.    

For more information, call Barbara L. Jones at 313-577-3518 or email her at barbaraljones@wayne.edu.