The Grand Valley State University Student Senate will vote this Thursday on a resolution of support for the establishment of a new Human Rights minor program. The proposed program will be the first of its kind in the state of Michigan and one of a few in the country.

“I think there is strong support for this,” said Adam Hukkala, the student senator who introduced the resolution.

The Student Senate resolution of support will help the proposed program through the approval process.

Last year, the Provost’s University Curriculum Committee approved the minor prospectus, which authorized a task force chaired by Richard Hiskes of the Political Science department. He said he has seen a lot of interest in the minor program.

“I’m very excited about it,” Hiskes said. “A lot of students are asking about it.”

Hiskes is the former Political Science Undergraduate Director at the University of Connecticut, where he directed the Human Rights minor and established the Human Rights major program.

“It’s the biggest program in the world,” he said.

The professor said he’s happy to be at GVSU for his second year, adding that more than just students have supported the new program.

“There’s a tremendous amount of administrative and faculty support that I’ve been feeling since I got here,” he said.

Hiskes, who currently teaches a human rights course, said human rights is an established area in international law, but it’s a broad field and the courses can appeal to a variety of majors.

“They incorporate human rights law, but also it’s kind of a moral sense about human rights and social justice,” he said.

Organizations such as corporations, international courts, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are seeking graduates with experience in the human rights field, Hiskes said.

“More and more professions like engineering and business are becoming increasingly involved,” Hiskes said. “It’s part of the game now.”

The minor will be housed in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Hiskes said he has many hopes for the program’s expansion, including opportunities for internships with human rights organizations both locally and abroad, as well as the inclusion of more majors into the program.

The human rights field has the power to change the world and make it a better place, Hiskes added.

“It’s possible to change the world and make money at the same time,” he said. “Doing well by doing good.”

For more information or to contact Richard Hiskes, visit www.gvsu.edu/polisci/professor-richard-hiskes-15.htm.