"Teaching peace by using nonviolent communication for difficult conversations in the college classroom" by Sara Koopman and Laine Seliga has just been published by Peace and Conflict Studies Journal. Abstract Having empathy and respect for oneself and others when engaging in difficult dialogue is an essential part of peace education. Gandhi emphasized that involving emotions was more transformative than purely intellectual approaches to education. Nonviolent communication (NVC), as developed by Marshall Rosenberg, is a tool for fostering empathy and building connection across difference....

Kent State School of Peace and Conflict Studies Associate Professor Tatsushi Arai will serve as an expert panelist in a virtual workshop on Addressing Threat Perception in the Reconciliation of Identity-Based Conflicts sponsored by George Mason University’s Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution at 1-3pm on May 6 (Thursday). The workshop will create a space for dialogue between students, researchers, and practitioners to jointly explore the role of threat perception in identity-based conflict and ways to overcome theat to foster conditions for reconciliation. R...

Professor Doug Goldsmith is a recipient of one of Kent State's highest honors, the Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA), for the 2020-21 academic year. Dating back more than 50 years and sponsored by the Kent State Alumni Association, the DTA is presented annually to three full-time faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary teaching in the classroom and a devotion to touching the lives of students.  Professor Goldsmith teaches color theory and a variety of illustration courses for the School of Visual Communication Design. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BFA an...

Professor Landon Hancock was recently awarded a prestigious International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars from the Council on Foreign Relations. Launched in 1967, this highly competitive award offers tenured academics practical policy-making experience through placements at a variety of US governmental agencies, Congress, or international organizations. Dr. Hancock’s project is on the role of accountability in peacebuilding, including issues of legitimacy and local ownership. For the 2021-22 year, he will serve as a Local Peacebuilding Advisor to the United ...

SPCS is delighted to announce that Dr. Ashley Nickels, Associate Professor in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, was awarded a prestigious Democracy Visiting Fellowship from the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Established in 2003, the Ash Center offers fellowships to faculty, doctoral, and postdoctoral students pursuing research on substantive democratic governance issues—including issues relevant to Dr. Nickels’s own award-winning work on democracy, power, and community organization. Dr. Nickels will be i...

Behind every great artist, there is a great teacher. Art educators foster the creative development of children and inspire young students to pursue artistic careers. Some students even go on to become art educators themselves, inspiring the next generation of artists. One such art educator is Maryann Rodin. Maryann is an elementary art teacher in the West Geauga school district. She graduated from Kent State in 1995 with her B.A. in Art Education and earned her M.A. in the Art of Teaching from Marygrove College in 2005.  Maryann has years of experience working as an art educator and has ...

Note: This is part one of a four-day series highlighting the pillars within the Division of Student Affairs and how they benefit the students at Kent State University. Today we are focusing on the Advocacy, Support, and Well-Being pillar, which includes the Office of the Dean of Students, Recreation and Wellness Services, Kent State of Well-Being, Center for Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services (SRVSS), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Parents and Family Engagement, the Crisis Advocacy Resources Education Support (CARES) Center, and Student Conduct. When Co...

Kent State University unexpectedly lost one of its most dedicated and longtime employees in July 2020. John Granny, director of Business Affairs for Kent State Geauga and the Twinsburg Academic Center, passed away suddenly after more than 30 years of service to the university.   “John’s genuine smile and welcoming demeanor made him a beloved member of our campus for the many years he called the Geauga Campus home,” said Angela Spalsbury, dean and chief administrative officer at Kent State University Geauga and the Twinsburg Academic Center Granny’s career at Kent State University i...