A Lone Star College-Kingwood professor is being honored with a Peacemaker Award, for his continuous work to promote peace, education, and activism.
The Houston Peace & Justice Center named Dr. John J. Theis as one of their awardees this year. He'll receive the award during a ceremony in November.
The HPJC is an organization that provides peace education, activism training, and resources to help build a non-violent community.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Houston Peace and Justice Coalition for the work I have done over the years,” Dr. Theis remarked.
Dr. Theis was previously the Director of the Center for Civic Engagement for the Lone Star College System and is a professor of Political Science on the Kingwood campus. He also leads “Deliberative Dialogue” forums, which tackle various topics ranging from political to racial and social justice, with a goal of educating and encouraging open discussions on what are often controversial issues.
"For the past 15 years, Professor Theis has directed the Center for Civic Engagement on the Kingwood campus and has spread the effort to many other parts of the Lone Star System,” said LSC-Kingwood History Professor Steve Davis. “The purpose of the Center is to teach students how to be citizens in the fullest sense of the word, how to become active in ways that improve society. What Jay has done with this, and related efforts has benefitted a great number of students and has put LSC-Kingwood on the map in this community and beyond."
According to the HPJC, for several years now, Dr. Theis has brought together a predominantly black church with a predominantly white church to discuss racial and social justice issues. He also co-founded Occupy Kingwood, where the group occupied a corner in Kingwood for 52 consecutive weeks to bring attention to the community about national politics.
“Dr. Theis has a tireless commitment to fostering dialogue and understanding across diverse groups,” shared LSC-Kingwood Instructional Dean Jared Miller. “He embodies the spirit of civic engagement and the mission of Lone Star College. We are immensely proud of his recognition and grateful for his continued impact on our community."
The Center for Civic Engagement has a full schedule coming up this fall, with events both on and off campus. For a look at upcoming events, click here.
Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D. serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area. LSC has been named a 2023 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit Lonestar.edu.
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