For the third consecutive year, Seton Hill University will offer a three-course Certificate in Genocide and Holocaust Education specifically designed for teachers of grades 6-12 in Westmoreland and surrounding counties at no cost to educators.

Through this online nine-credit program, local educators will have access to educational resources and tools developed by the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill and learn methods and strategies for teaching this important subject to their students.

Applications for the program, which can accommodate up to 15 participants, are open through February 2, 2026. There will be no charge for tuition or class materials. The free tuition program is made possible by a gift from private benefactors.

Students can begin the program in either March 2026 or June 2026 and will complete the program either in fall 2026 or spring 2027, depending on start date. The first course provides instruction in pedagogical methods. The second course provides a comparative study of genocides of the 20th Century, including the Holocaust. The third and final course focuses on the role of narrative in Holocaust and genocide education.

This certificate is stackable and may count towards Seton Hill’s 15-credit Certificate in Genocide and Holocaust Studies or a master’s degree in Education.

The program was first offered in 2024 with 15 educators participating. Sixteen educators from local schools were participants in the 2025 cohort.

For more information and to receive an application for the program, please contact Dr. James Paharik, Director of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill, at jpaharik@setonhill.edu. Students accepted into the program must have a bachelor’s degree and current teacher certification. Applicants will be enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Teachers who participated in the program have testified that the methods they have acquired are helping their students to be more aware of the dangers of antisemitism and other forms of bigotry,” said Paharik. “These educators have learned new ways of teaching this challenging but very beneficial material to their students.”

This program is provided at no cost to local educators thanks to grants from the Fine Foundation, the Evelyn B. Kaufman Foundation, and the Fleischner Family Charitable Foundation. Teachers in the program have also been able to incorporate the life stories of Pittsburgh-area Holocaust survivors into their classes by using videos that the NCCHE has produced through the Eva Fleischner Oral History Project.