USD Professor To Present At White House Summit

SAN DIEGO, CA: On February 18, 2015, the University of San Diego’s Dr. Ami Carpenter will take part in the White House’s Summit on Countering Violent Extremism. The summit is designed to “highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from radicalizing, recruiting, or inspiring individuals or groups in the United States and abroad to commit acts of violence” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. It would build on President Obama’s 2011 policy that first attempted to consolidate U.S. domestic efforts to keep extremist activities from taking root.

"The Summit represents a critical conversation about the push and pull factors associated with radicalization and extremism," Dr. Carpenter explained. “But also what we in the Peacebuilding and development communities can do to support community resilience to prevent these ideas from taking hold."

According to the White House, Boston, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis-St. Paul have taken the lead in building pilot frameworks integrating a range of social service providers, including education administrators, mental health professionals, and religious leaders, with law enforcement agencies to address violent extremism as part of the broader mandate of community safety and crime prevention. The summit will highlight best practices and emerging efforts from these communities.

Dr. Carpenter, an associate professor in the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, will participate in a panel of researchers and discuss her research on community resilience to sectarianism violence during Iraq's civil war. Dr. Carpenter’s research focuses on local communities that have prevented the spread of extremist attitudes and behaviors and how those communities built resilience to this type of violence.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.