Comprehensive Overview and Analysis of Graduate Conflict Resolution Trends in the United States

The National Conference on Current Trends in
Conflict Resolution in Higher Education

Concurrent Session V

A Comprehensive Overview and Analysis of Graduate Conflict Resolution Programs Trends in the United States

This presentation focuses on the results of ongoing research of every graduate program certificate, masters, and doctoral program in alternative dispute resolution and conflict resolution in the United States. The presentation will provide basic college and university statistics that house these program, a brief set historical trends, the location of ADR and CR institutes, centers, programs, and departments, demographics of the students enrolled in these programs, curriculum content, delivery and specializations, and finally, what program directors and faculty members indicate makes their programs unique.

Workshop Presenters

Brian Polkinghorn is a Professor of Conflict Resolution and Executive Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution at Salisbury University. He is has been in the field of conflict resolution since 1991 practicing as a professional negotiator, mediator, arbitrator, ombudsman, hearing officer, dispute systems designer, facilitator, trainer and professor. Brian has authored over 25 articles almost exclusively in the area of applied research applications in a variety of conflict settings. He has also co-edited or contributed to over 10 books. Brian is also a member of four journal editorial boards and is active in PSJA, ACR, NAFCM and the GSA. His practice is mostly concentrated on large-scale long-term conflict intervention projects at in places such as Colombia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Israel, Guyana, Chile, South Africa and Ireland. He has also consulted with numerous governments, roughly 50 state agencies and businesses. He holds a BA from the University of Maryland (1985) an MS in conflict resolution from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) George Mason University (1988), MA, M.Phil and Ph.D. through the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (PARC), the Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University (1991, 1992, 1994). He was also a visiting scholar at the Program on Negotiation (PON) Harvard University Law School (1991-1992) a Research Fellow with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (1990-1993) and a Presidential Management Fellow (1991). From 1994-2000 he lead the development of the MA and Ph.D. programs in the Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (DCAR) especially in regard to the practicum sequence, research and environmental studies. Since 2000 he developed and launched a BA program in conflict analysis and dispute resolution (CONFLICT ANALYSIS DISPUTE RESOLUTION) at Salisbury University and substantially restructured the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) into a leading international practice and research group that has gone on to receive numerous awards from professional and academic organizations.

Robert La Chance Jr. is a graduate student in the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Master's program at Arcadia University. For the last two years Rob was the Director of Program Development, Special Projects and Technology for the Center for Conflict Resolution at Salisbury University. Among other things, Rob helped develop programs on and off campus and continues to work with the center on the research being presented here and other projects. Rob is currently in Ireland studying Conflict Resolution. He earned two bachelor degrees in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution as well as in Philosophy from Salisbury University in 2001. Current Developments in International Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Programs.

[menu]