CONTACT:
Crystal.Bozek@umb.edu, 617-287-5383
DeWayne.Lehman@umb.edu, 617 287-5302
Telecommunications Pioneer Makes Significant Donation to
Promote Non-violence and Peace Projects at UMass Boston
(Boston, September 30, 2014) – Sid Topol, a pioneer in the field of wireless communication,
will fund the new Topol Peace Data Initiative at UMass Boston’s Center for Peace, Democracy,
and Development (CPDD).
This initiative will seek to collect evidence on non-violence and peace movements worldwide in
order to learn how they have transformed from local to national movements. Researchers will
also develop a useful set of strategies and training materials that will help other local peace efforts
gain knowledge of global best practices in scaling up their non-violence projects to have national
impact, improving their effectiveness, and undermining the notion that violence is useful.
Center associates will use funds to support three current case studies in Israel, Boston, and
Northern Ireland. The first study addresses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focusing specifically
on the peace work of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, a binational cooperative community
dedicated to sustainable peace between Arabs and Jews. The second, CPDD’s Restorative Justice
Project in Boston, works with juvenile offenders seeking to address the roots of youth violence
and to teach youths the skills of non-violence. Topol’s targeted funds will also support projects in
Northern Ireland, paying particular attention to the role that civil society actors play in pushing
for non-violent change.
Thanks to Topol’s generosity, UMass Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy and
Global Studies will use these funds to support the hiring of a post-doc Topol Senior Peace Fellow
and three to five graduate student Topol Peace Fellows. In addition to their research and case
studies, these fellows will develop a series of workshop-based training tools and online guides for
non-violence activists worldwide on how to “scale up”−the ability to transform a small, localized
initiative into a nationwide movement.
Ninety-year-old Sid Topol received training in telecommunications when serving in the U.S.
Army in Tokyo, where he worked on microwave link projects. While at Raytheon, he helped
develop the first portable television-relay links and the first global-scale "Earth stations" satellite
dishes for the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT). He left
Boston to lead Scientific Atlanta to advance the future of cable TV via satellite communications.
With nearly two decades there as president, CEO, and later chairman of the board, this
communications technology firm saw sales jump from $16 million to $600 million. Topol then
went on to serve as chairman of the Advanced Television Committee of the Electronic Industries
Association, where he became a champion of high definition television (HDTV).
Ira A. Jackson, dean of the McCormack School, lauded the potential global impact of Topol’s gift
to the Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development.
“Peace advocates are recognizing the importance of engaging larger populations in peace
movements, and how non-violence itself is a highly political proposition that requires a high level
of social organization, political strategy, and institution building so that local initiatives can be
scaled up to have national impacts,” Jackson said. “Through his generous gift, Sid’s commitment
to non-violence and peace initiatives will help strengthen our college’s work to address these
important challenges at home and abroad and help to propel UMass Boston forward with a
collaborative approach to studying, teaching, and impacting a world stricken by violence and
seemingly endless wars.”
About the University of Massachusetts Boston
Recognized for its innovative research addressing complex issues, the University of
Massachusetts Boston, metropolitan Boston’s only public university, offers its diverse student
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city. UMass Boston’s ten colleges and graduate schools serve 16,000 students while engaging
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public service activities. To learn more about UMass Boston, visit www.umb.edu.
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