GREENVILLE, Pa.—Two Thiel College honors students will take part in an international academic program examining the leadership, history and global impact of the Nobel Peace Prize after being selected for the Partners in Peace initiative through the National Collegiate Honors Council.
Graduate student Alexis Brown ’26 MBA’27 and criminal justice, psychology and sociology triple major Cooper Riley ’28 have been accepted into a three-credit semester course hosted by Oslo New University College in partnership with the National Collegiate Honors Council as part of the Partners in Peace collaboration with the Nobel Peace Center. The course brings together a select group of students from National Collegiate Honors Council member institutions and Oslo New University College to study the Nobel Peace Prize selection process, the lives and leadership of Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and the principles of peacebuilding.
“I am incredibly proud of Lexi and Cooper for taking on Nobel Peace ambassadorships for our college and our honors program, and I am excited to work with them to implement programming in the Spring semester once they return from Oslo. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them to attend the Nobel Peace Prize reception,” said Dietrich Honors Institute Director Sheila Gross, Ph.D. ’10. “At Thiel and in the DHI, we aim to ‘prepare students for careers and lives of meaning and purpose,’ and Lexi and Cooper will have a front row seat as to what can be possible when people dedicate their lives to this mission.”
The course is taught by Henrik Syse, Ph.D., former vice chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and explores four primary themes: Alfred Nobel and his will, the concept of peace, selected Nobel Peace Prize laureates throughout history and the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Students will participate in readings, lectures and discussions throughout the fall semester while developing a practical project to implement within their home institutions or communities.
Seminars will be conducted in a hybrid format, allowing students in Norway and participants from around the world to learn together. As part of the experience, Brown and Riley will attend the National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference in New Orleans in November before traveling to Oslo, Norway, Dec. 9–12 to participate in Nobel Week activities, including the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.
“I am very honored and excited for this learning opportunity,” said Riley, a Jamestown, Pa. native and 2024 Jamestown High School graduate. “I cannot wait to meet people from across the world and travel to places I have never been. I’m also thrilled to bring this experience back to Thiel in the form of knowledge and practical application both on campus and throughout the community.”
Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Thiel and is working on her MBA. The Eastlake, Ohio native and West Geauga High School graduate said the opportunity is especially meaningful because she became the first Thiel graduate student selected to participate in the program.
“I am extremely honored and grateful to have been given this incredible opportunity,” Brown said. “Initially, I didn't think this would be possible because I had already completed the Dietrich Honors Institute program as an undergraduate. Thanks to the encouragement of the program’s previous director, I applied and became the first graduate student to participate. I hope it opens the door for future graduate students to be involved.”
Following the international experience, Brown will work with Thiel College Professor of History David Buck, Ph.D. during the spring semester to help integrate lessons from the program into honors coursework and campus initiatives, while both students will complete projects designed to apply the leadership principles of Nobel Peace Prize laureates within the Thiel College community.
About the Partners in Peace Program
The Partners in Peace program recognizes National Collegiate Honors Council member institutions for creating curricular and co-curricular experiences that explore the work of Alfred Nobel and Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The initiative encourages students to study the leadership strategies of past and present laureates while applying those lessons to strengthen their own campuses and communities through meaningful service and engagement.
About the National Collegiate Honors Council
Founded in 1966, the National Collegiate Honors Council supports nearly 700 member institutions and hundreds of individual members dedicated to collegiate honors education. NCHC provides professional development, collaborative programming, scholarships and educational opportunities that benefit more than 330,000 honors students worldwide.
About the Nobel Peace Center
The Nobel Peace Center serves as the public face of the Nobel Peace Prize, using the work and ideas of Nobel Peace Prize laureates to inspire action for peace through exhibitions, educational programs, events and digital engagement. Each year, the center welcomes more than 200,000 visitors to Oslo and reaches audiences around the world through its educational initiatives.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.