Welcome back to a new semester!

Message from the Program Director, Dr. Betty Snyder

Students,

Welcome back new and returning students to the start of the 2019-2020 academic year!  I look forward to a spectacular semester with our faculty and students and warmly welcome the new master’s and certificate students to the Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management Program.  I would also like to welcome our new faculty, Dr. Suzanne Maxwell and Dr. Gary Clayton, to our team. We are fortunate to be able to benefit from their extensive professional backgrounds and expertise.

This summer, DRCM students had a life changing study abroad experience, as we studied identity-based conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.  We will be announcing the next study abroad location within the next few months.

Looking to the year ahead, the DRCM Program is looking forward to introducing some new initiatives, including a colloquium series that will examine current social issues, enhanced career planning opportunities for students and alumni, and a career symposium.  Please keep your eyes and ears open for more details, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of every opportunity provided.  We are also very proud of our students that have been placed in new internship sites including Bridges to Life, where students will be engaged in restorative justice practices, and The SMU Hart Center for Engineering Leadership, where a student will be focusing on building a coaching curriculum.  In addition, we look forward to some exiting changes with our Mediation and Conflict Resolution Clinic that will allow for more practical opportunities for students.

As always, I appreciate student feedback and would love to meet with you to discuss your ideas.

I wish you the best of luck throughout the term.

Dr. Betty Snyder
Director and Clinical Associate Professor