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New Kroc School Master's Degree Tackles Conflict Management, Resolution

Author:
Craig Zelizer

October 17, 2018

This is a sponsored post on PCDN

This article originally ran on the website of the Kroc School at the University of San Diego.

When Glenn Hyzak's physical therapist suggested he try yoga to help with military-related injuries, he didn't balk at the request. He did it, and it has proven to be some of the best advice he's taken — not just to feel healthier, but because it also started what is now a strong connection to the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies (Kroc School).

While doing yoga at a neighborhood studio, the U.S. Coast Guard member met and talked with USD double alumna, Navy Officer Elizabeth Spangenberg, who earned an undergraduate psychology degree and her master's in the peace and justice studies program in 2016.

"I learned all about the Kroc School from her. She was awesome to talk to and she spoke very highly of the school, so I checked out the website and I really dug what they were doing. I soon turned into a Kroc School groupie because I tried to attend every event I could," Hyzak said.

 

Kroc School student Glenn Hyzak is pursuing his Master’s in Conflict Management and Resolution.

 

His first foray was a Border Film Festival hosted by Ev Meade. Impressed with Meade, who is a Kroc School professor of practice, and by other programming by the Kroc School and its Trans-Border institute, and by professors and staff, Hyzak knew he wanted to take the next logical step.

This fall, he's one of 12 students enrolled in the Kroc School’s newest degree program, the Master of Science in Conflict Management and Resolution.

"It's a great tool for the toolbox," said Hyzak about choosing the program.

The degree, which can be completed in nine months and has a 30-unit curriculum, "mainly targets working professionals in different fields (health, education, police, military, etc.), who want to gain an understanding of conflict analysis as well as the tools for conflict management and resolution, including mediation, negotiation, facilitation and dialogue," says Necla Tschirgi, the Kroc School’s associate dean and a distinguished professor, and among those who helped shape the development of the degree program.

Hyzak, because he's still active duty as well as being a husband and father, said he's taking only nine units this semester and expects to graduate within two years.

The inaugural cohort is comprised of a dozen individuals with a range of life experiences of their own, but who want to fortify it with teachings from USD's knowledgeable and high-quality professors, many of whom have practiced, studied and researched what they teach in the field.

Members of the Kroc School’s inaugural Master of Science in Conflict Management and Resolution cohort gain tools including mediation, negotiation, facilitation and dialogue.

 

"I really enjoy what they have to say, where they go, and they want to engage every stakeholder. They get military, law enforcement, academia types, everyone who is in the game. They have them there and they want to hear what they have to say and get that dialogue going," Hyzak said.

Hyzak is one of three students with military experience and all 12 are actively working in occupations where conflict resolution or management of conflict has or will come into play.

"They want to have someone who is already entry-level or midstream like myself so you can take your foundation, your bachelor's degree (he has a criminal justice degree) and your work experience and apply it all here. You come here having some direction and having some ideas of where you want to resolve conflict."

Currently, Hyzak is a Maritime Law Enforcement Specialist, conducting interdictions in areas rife with unlawful activities and smuggling. As Deployable Specialized Forces, he's served with Maritime Safety and Security teams in San Francisco and Los Angeles. His experiences include law enforcement, boarding subject matter expert and coalition building with Iraq training and advisory missions. He's assisted in supervising Law Enforcement Detachments regarding governmental policy and training. He has been recognized multiple times for his work that has taken him to West Africa, Iraq and to assist with Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.

Although the first semester is only a few weeks in, Hyzak's belief in what he's learning is already paying dividends. He communicated with Kroc School Associate Professor Ami Carpenter, who is teaching a Conflict Analysis Prevention Resolution course, about connecting a person he knows to the San Diego Police Department. Hyzak, who has done volunteer experiences within the San Diego Police Department's Gang Unit, told Carpenter, an adviser for the San Diego Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, of this possibility.

"I was interested for the person to have a dialogue with the police department. When I asked him, he said he couldn't see the value in it and I think it takes someone in the Conflict Management and Resolution program to see the value of two parties talking and having a good dialogue."

Patricia Marquez, Dean of the Kroc School, believes in preparing students to manage “conflict in all of its complexities to build positive solutions at scale.”

 

The new degree is part of the vision that Kroc School Dean, Dr. Patricia Marquez, sees to sharpen the skill set for those in the workforce where conflict is at the forefront.

"We have to focus on generating the skills for the effective management and transformation of conflict across our global society," Marquez said. "Creatively managing conflict in all of its complexities to build positive solutions at scale is essential to the mission of the Kroc School."

She believes the inaugural cohort can set a tone for those who follow. "This cohort seeks to grow as professionals committed to managing conflict effectively in groups, communities and organizations operating in a wide range of sectors."

Having the support of professors, including Carpenter, Meade, and a new faculty member, Assistant Professor Philip Gamaghelyan, PhD, who is focused on conflict analysis and resolution, is a valuable resource.

"The professors really do make every attempt to get to know their students here. They really want to help build you out and build you up," Hyzak said.

And don't forget the Kroc School alumni who've been through the coursework, the capstone, the research and the readings, and are now using their degree to make a difference.

Hyzak might have learned about the Kroc School while doing yoga, but he also, recently, took special interest in listening to a Navy Chaplain and Kroc School alumnus.

"He talked about what he had learned here and how he's now used it when he advises JOs (junior officers). I will be in a similar position in the Coast Guard. I still have opportunities to be deployed abroad, maybe back to Africa or the Middle East, so having these kinds of things and these experiences really help because it gives you a platform to speak from."

At the Kroc School, we are educating for peace. Ready to join us? Learn more about the Kroc School and its graduate programs.

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