Dr. Susan Raines Named Associate Director of the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development
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After an extended search for the best candidate to lead the professional programs in the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development, specifically the Master of Science in Conflict Management and the Center for Conflict Management, Dr. Susan Raines has been named the new Associate Director of the School. As a result from reviewing several highly qualified candidates and inviting the top contenders to visit the campus, the search committee concluded that Dr. Raines is the most qualified and most deserving of the position. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the role and her vision for the Master’s degree and Center for Conflict Management includes efforts to increase the visibility of our programs nationwide and beyond.
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Excellence and Impact: Associate Director’s Vision for the MSCM Program
Leading the Master of Science in Conflict Management (MSCM) program is a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of students as well as the broader world. In this role, I seek to lead our faculty and staff team as we accomplish the following tasks:
- Raise the national and international profile and rankings of the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding & Development (SCMPD) to be in the top 3 Conflict Management/Resolution graduate programs in North America.
- Recruit, mentor and graduate top-notch MSCM students each December. Ensure they are prepared to transition into the “next steps” for their career.
- Provide hands-on experiential learning and service opportunities for our students and alumni as they engage in training, intervention and process design though internships and our Center for Conflict Management.
- Improve the culture of dispute resolution at KSU while providing training experience to our graduate students through the Mediation Clinic at KSU, which offers free mediation to faculty, staff, and students at KSU.
- Provide assistance to the university and community through conferences and pro-bono service delivery.
- Serve our alumni through life-long continuing education and career services.
- Raise funds needed to support graduate student assistantships, conference travel, marketing and other needs of SCMPD and the MSCM program.
- Produce and disseminate research that furthers knowledge and skills of Conflict Management in academic and practitioner communities while enhancing the reputation of the SCMPD.
I look forward to collaborating with the SCMPD and external communities. Please feel free to contact me to share your own vision for the MSCM program and the SCMPD. My goal is to create a shared vision that motivates us to work together to enact significant change in our families, workplaces and communities.
Sincerely,
Susan S. Raines
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KSU Ombuds Leading the Way for Ombuds Offices in High Places
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Dr. Tim Hedeen was among a team of researchers contracted by the Administrative Conference of the United States--a public-private partnership that advises the federal government--to study federal agencies' use of ombudsman offices. Their 600-page 2016 report is gaining renewed attention in recent Congressional testimony and important publications. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine cited their report to support their argument for ombuds offices as valuable responses to sexual harassment in higher education. Furthermore, the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed that U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has also referenced the report to support ombuds offices.
In addition, Dr. Hedeen and a Graduate Research Assistant are conducting survey research of the International Ombudsman Association's membership, in conjunction with scholars at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of South Florida. Their survey is the largest conducted in the field of organizational ombuds. From these reports, Dr. Hedeen has become a nationally-recognized figure among ombuds, especially those at international organizations and college campuses.
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Addressing Violence on a Global Scale
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Brent Decker, Chief Program Officer of Cure Violence, and Joe Bock of KSU met with municipal officials and representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations in Athens, Greece, from June 9-16. They conducted an assessment to determine how Cure Violence’s approach could be adapted to the context in Athens and beyond. Cure Violence, which focused initially on the prevention of gang violence, views violence as a disease and its interruption as a public health intervention. The visit sought to answer the following questions:
- Are there governmental or non-governmental agencies with the capacity and will to implement the a violence interruption approach?
- Does official and unofficial data exist about violent incidents to focus and monitor the implementation of the model?
- Does official and unofficial data exist about the nature of violent incidents to determine if the model is appropriate?
- Does official and unofficial data exist to create criteria to identify a high risk target population for focusing implementation of the model?
- Do community organizations or hospital trauma units exist who fit the criteria to serve as partners to implement the model?
- Do individuals exist who could fulfill the role of Violence Interrupters?
They found considerable evidence of a growing challenge within Athens in addressing violence, and envisioned, with municipal officials, the use of the model more broadly in Greece as well as elsewhere in Europe. The trip was supported by a grant from the American Arbitration Association—International Centre for Dispute Resolution.
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Mediation videos are now available ONLINE for trainers who wish to use role-play videos in their workshops. Scenarios include small claims, spousal support, child support, parenting plans, and hidden assets in divorce. Available pricing includes 6 week and 2-year access.
Click here for more info.
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Congratulations to our newest INCM graduate, Dr. Amanda Woomer who successfully defended her dissertation, "Integrating Conflict Sensitivity into Conservation Practice: Evaluating an Implementation," and will walk with her peers in July.
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Jean-Marc Akakpo (INCM Student), presented summaries from a workshop on Safe Cities with the eThekwini Municipality in Durban, South Africa.
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Joyce Acquah (INCM Student), presented her paper entitled "Violence in Buduburam Refugee Camp: Forms, Sources and Consequences" at the "Challenging Migrant Detention: Human Rights, Advocacy and Mental Health" conference at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The conference was held June 19-21.
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Casey Davis (MSCM Student), has been added to the Magistrate Court Mediator Roster in Gwinnett County and will begin in August.
She will also facilitate a workshop for Residence Life Assistants on campus titled, Residence Assistants Facilitating Roommate Conflicts. The workshop will include methods and techniques to prevent roommate conflicts from escalating.
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Dr. Elena Gheorghiu (INCM Alumnae), has been offered a lecturer position in the Sociology Department at Georgia State University. In the fall, she will teach Introduction to Sociology and Wealth, Power and Inequality, 2 sections of each, combining a total number of 270 students. In the spring, she will probably teach the same classes plus Research Methods.
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