The Institute was formally established as the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies in 1986. Its creation was an outgrowth of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program (PACS) at Juniata College which began in 1971. Today the Institute serves as an institutional home for the undergraduate PACS program. In addition to providing oversight for the undergraduate program, the Baker Institute’s initiatives are designed to educate the public, as well as the Juniata College community, about creating a future where war no longer exists. In addition to the formal programs and activities of the Institute, it also sponsors conferences, workshops, and public forums on war and peace issues. The initial funds to support the program came from Elizabeth Evans Baker in 1968 as a gift to the college, earmarked for a peace studies program. Over the past 32 years the endowment has grown to 3.2 million through the continued support of the Baker family along with many others.