We live in a world that seems forever captured in violence and injustice. Utah Valley University has joined over 300 colleges and universities now offering academic programs in peace and justice studies. The last few decades have seen an explosion of these programs because the empirical research has brought us to the conclusion that lasting nonviolence and justice can be achieved. An emergence in the craft of building peace and justice has now allowed us to work for a just and peaceable future that seemed impossible just decades ago. Our globe is filled with desperate poverty, injustice, and violence, to be sure; but because these problems are so severe and morally urgent, we have reason to study them. In coming to understand the causes of violence and injustice, and in testing theories and peacebuilding solutions, we are making advances in eliminating forces that diminish and destroy life, and constructing those that give life, justice, and peace. The interdisciplinary approach we take through the many courses we offer through most of the academic departments on campus fits the global approach to peace and justice studies.