Liberty students present research on intercultural peacekeeping for NATO Centre of Excellence in Rome

A team of students in Liberty University’s Liberty Analytical Support Initiative (LASI) traveled to Rome, Italy, over Winter Break to brief officials at the NATO Centre of Excellence for Security Force Assistance on multidisciplinary recommendations for intercultural communication for the peacekeeping on the world stage.

The trip, which included 10 students and Helms School of Government Professor Scott Roenicke, marked the culmination of a semester-long research project analyzing additional ways NATO Security Force Assistance advisors can effectively facilitate peaceful resolution to ongoing conflict. Students also presented potential training methods for advisors in light of different cultural environments.

“This experience validated that God is sovereign in this world and He can take people from Alabama, Chicago, the Midwest, farm kids, and put them in very significant places of influence,” Roenicke said. “These students all have unparalleled opportunity to engage senior NATO officials on topics of tremendous interest to the alliance, and they provided their unadulterated recommendations to them.”

Roenicke said the team’s recommendations will likely lead to improvements in NATO’s capacity to maintain peace around the world.

“That’s significant,” he said. “This experience really allowed them to see so much more and to operationalize their faith in ways that they haven’t before.”

LASI, established in 2021, connects teams of students with national and international governmental agencies who request that they conduct research on various modern-day issues in support of their missions. The team in Rome was just one of several who completed projects over the Fall 2024 semester. In December 2023, Liberty sent a separate team of students on a trip to Lithuania for an analytical support presentation to NATO.

Formed with students from a variety of academic programs, the LASI team in Rome sought the input of each contributing member to create a well-rounded, all-encompassing solution. The specifics of these recommendations are being kept confidential at this time. Elizabeth Matthews, who is earning a master’s in psychology and writing her thesis on the effectiveness of different assessment of intercultural competence, said the project allowed her to practically apply her classroom learning.

“It is huge to be able to translate the classroom experience to not only an application research project but something that we can see the implications of happening,” she said.

“This project is actually having a real impact,” she added. “With this specific project of peacekeeping, hopefully it will have actual implications on how advisors at NATO go into communities and diffuse conflict that could escalate into something really bad. It’s huge going into this project knowing that the consequences could be really great.”

Psychology and religious studies senior Bella McCoy, who served as the team lead, also highlighted the incredible opportunity LASI offers to students.

“LASI steps into situations with several investigative branches, and it gives you real-life experience in a setting where you’re working on projects that have application right now in the present time,” she said. “Not only are you building phenomenal connections with these individuals as clients, but you’re also getting to have an application and a hand in their development as an institute. That’s an invaluable experience for any student because not only is it giving you value and purpose for your work as a Champion for Christ, but it’s also allowing you to see where you may fit in a government branch if that is a job you desire to pursue long term.”

Many members of Liberty’s team said they found several ways to put their faith into action on the trip.

“We went into this project with the posture of ‘we will testify to the greatness of God in any opportunity that we get,’” said Josiah Mork, who is pursuing a master’s degree in communication. “We were able to share while we were there that we were Christians, and we came from a Christian school. We really wanted to make it the very best work we could because that may be the only way we get to share Christ in this.”

This also meant establishing strong relationships with everyone they encountered and intentionally showing Christ’s love whenever possible.

Following the team’s presentation, Roenicke said the NATO Centre of Excellence intends to publish the LASI team’s findings on their website for the broader community of interest, and will use the team’s recommendations to train future military personnel who will deploy to dangerous environments, thereby emphasizing the crucial role that  this team’s work may play in resolving future regional conflict.

Outside of meeting with NATO officials, students also visited several key historical landmarks in Rome, including the Pantheon, Mamertine Prison, and the Coliseum, as well as the U.S. Embassy in Rome, where they met with senior diplomats. Through these experiences, they gained an even deeper appreciation for other cultures that will stick with them no matter what career they pursue after graduation.

“Just being able to engage on a regular level in going to a coffee shop or going to the Coliseum, you’re getting to understand the heritage of a country, which means you can understand what they value most as people,” said McCoy, who hopes to work in the U.S. State Department advocating for victims of human trafficking. “That, encompassed with the project itself, allowed for a full immersive experience for students beyond just government.”