Freeman Prize in Peace Studies

In 1984 the Harrop and Ruth Freeman Prize was established to honor Ruth Freeman, who was the first woman member of the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences. The prize goes to a graduating Cornell senior who has demonstrated a commitment to working for world peace. Ruth died in April 1988 and Harrop in October 1993. A bequest from the Freemans insures that future Cornell students will be recognized for their achievements and continuing work in peace activities.

On this page: Application | Past Annoucements | Complete Recipients List

2008 Winner of the Freeman Prize in Peace Studies Announced

The Peace Studies Program (PSP) has awarded the 2008 Harrop and Ruth Freeman Prize to Cornell graduating senior Perry O'Brien.

Perry O'Brien is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Government. He joined the Army shortly before 9/11, and was deployed to Afghanistan as a medic with the 82nd Airborne Division in January of 2003. Upon returning to the United States he was honorably discharged as a conscientious objector in 2004. He is the founder of www.peace-out.com and a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He co-founded the Central New York chapter of IVAW upon arriving at Cornell in the fall of 2005. He has participated in every IVAW national anti-war mobilization, as well as several speaking tours, trainings, marches, and acts of civil disobedience. In 2006 he joined the IVAW Strategy Team, and in 2007 became the their representative to the Steering Committee of United Peace and Justice, the nation?s largest anti-war coalition.

His work has recently focused on "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan," a campaign to bring veterans to Washington, DC to testify about immoral and illegal military policies. Also included will be recorded civilian testimony collected in Iraq by journalists using a questionnaire O'Brien designed. As Testimonial Team Leader for Winter Soldier, he is responsible for coordinating the collection, verification, and presentation of all veteran and civilian testimony, and for providing legal and mental health support for testifiers.

He has also co-authored a book for 10-14 year-olds entitled After Gandhi: 100 Years of Nonviolent Resistance, which will be published in 2009. It profiles important leaders and movements in nonviolence, encouraging young people to get involved with peaceful forms of activism.

He will be moving to New York City after graduation to work on institutionalization of Winter Soldier within IVAW, creating a permanent online database of testimony and evidence collected from combat veterans and Iraqi and Afghani civilians. Written and recorded testimony, as well as photographic and video evidence, will be made available to scholars, journalists, and human rights organizations.

The Harrop and Ruth Freeman Prize in Peace Studies is awarded annually to Cornell University graduating seniors to encourage them to pursue work or study in fields related to peace studies and conflict resolution. Perry O'Brien exemplifies precisely the kind of student the Freemans hoped to recognize and honor through the establishment of the endowment and prize. The value of the prize this year is $2,500.

Application Form

Graduating seniors are eligible to apply by submitting:

• An application form, including a brief (200-500) word statement of purpose
• A letter of recommendation from your advisor or a faculty member
• A Cornell transcript

The application is downloadable or viewable in PDF format. If you have a PDF reader installed the application may open within your browser window. If you do not have a PDF reader installed the application will attempt to download. In order to open the file you will need to follow the provided link and receive a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Past Winner Announcements

Select a year to view the announcement: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Complete List of Award Recipients

The prize is awarded to Cornell University graduating seniors to encourage them to pursue work or study in fields related to peace studies and conflict resolution.