Grace Brown
Equinox Staff
On Sunday, October 20, Keene State College President Melinda Treadwell and other faculty spoke at a dedication ceremony for the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, located in the Mason Library. The center is dedicated to Jan and Rick Cohen because of their support for the Holocaust and Genocide Studies program.
“The Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies was established in 1983. It is one of the oldest Holocaust research centers in the United States, and still one of the only baccalaureate programs, that specalizes it,” said Treadwell.
In 2009 the program of Holocaust and Genocide Studies was established as an undergraduate major. Ten years later, 60 students are enrolled in the major, and over 40 students have declared it as a minor. Keene State is the only college in the nation that has the Holocaust and Genocide major. There are many people from across the world who help students learn about the program and the topics it covers.
Over 300 institutions and people throughout the region, state and the nation have joined hands with Keene State in supporting the Cohen Center.
While the Holocaust and Genocide Studies program has different classes that teach about the different genocides around the world, the Holocaust being a major topic, it also addresses other nationalities, races and ethnicities. As Chuck Vildebrant said, “This is not a Jewish issue. This is a human issue.”
Holocaust and Genocide Studies professor Dr. Ashley Green was asked while she was applying for her position for the program, “What does the ‘and’ mean in the name?” She answered to the audience at the ceremony that it’s about “confronting the difficult truths” and “understanding human consequences.”
“The Center and the HGS program build upon the college’s strategic vision and our commitment to preventing atrocities like the Holocaust,” Treadwell said. “I am confident that the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies will continue to make a difference at Keene State.”
Grace Brown can be contacted at
gbrown@kscequinox.com.
