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Bloustein School

We also facilitate workshops at the University and in the local, national, and international communities.

December 27, 2004

In September 2004, we joined the Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (international secretariat: European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP) in Utrecht, The Netherlands) and will be responsible, with colleagues in the U.S. and Canada, for preparing a regional agenda for the global conference that will be taking place at UN Headquarters in New York, 19-21, July 2005.

The conference is on The Role of Civil Society in the Prevention of Armed Conflict and Peacebuilding. In brief, the primary purpose of this undertaking is to create a fundamental shift in how the world responds to conflict by developing a common platform for effective action in conflict prevention from the community to the global level (and with the expectation that regional mechanisms will be put in place to deal with conflicts within nations--an area that, by its charter, the UN is constrained from doing).

September 1, 2004

A public lecture, "When Tempers Flair: Communicating Your Way Through Conflict," will be held on Monday, September 20, 2004, at the Rutgers College Student Center at the University (Multipurpose Room, 8:00 P.M.: (Free Admission).  This lecture by Linda L. Putnam, Texas A&M University, will focus on the important role of communication in the effective management of conflict.  It will address the role of communication in a variety of conflict management arenas including interpersonal disputes between friends or family members, work related conflicts, and protracted, generally multi-party, disputes in the public arena, notably those involving policy, land use and resource allocation issues. Central to a communication perspective is the belief that participants in conflict can enact a set of approaches, patterns of behavior, and language use that can transform a situation and lead to acceptable, and often, mutually satisfying, outcomes.

"When Tempers Flair" is the inaugural lecture in the series, Breaking Barriers, offered by the Office of Student Leadership, Involvement and Programs.

July 15, 2004

The current issue of the Ivey Business Journal features "The New Age of Negotiation" by Linda Stamato as its lead article. We encourage you to read it.

July 5, 2004

(From the United States Institute of Peace):

The U.S. Institute of Peace invites applications for Senior Fellowships for up to ten months as part of the Jennings Randolph Program for International Peace. Fellowships are awarded annually to scholars and practitioners to conduct research at the Institute on projects concerning international peace and conflict resolution in Iraq and elsewhere. The Institute is especially interested in proposals addressing problems of the Muslim world, post-war reconstruction and reconciliation, and responses to terrorism and political violence. Open to citizens of all nations. Application deadline: September 15, 2004. For more information and an application form, please visit the Institute's website at at http://www.usip.org/fellows, or contact

Jennings Randolph Program for International Peace
United States Institute of Peace
1200 17th Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036-3011 U.S.A.
phone: (202) 429-3886
fax: (202) 429-6063
e-mail: jrprogram@usip.org

May 26, 2004

We want to share with you yet two more projects on which the Center is currently working:

CNCR established interdisciplinary relationships with several units of the University in order to advance research and teaching initiatives (and introduce “process” values into areas of teaching) and, as a result of the initial meeting, in May, we have formed a group that will address theoretical and practical concerns having to do with intractable controversies, particularly those that emerge in public policy decision-making and what might be done to deal with them more effectively. One domain includes issues relating to health and the environment and another focuses on managing growth. We want to understand how controversies emerge in public policy decision-making in order to come up with practical suggestions for dealing with them. We are especially interested in how communication, information, and media on the one hand contribute to intractability while on the other hand provide means for shaping the possibilities for making sense of them and, thus, for creative problem-solving We aim to develop approaches that enhance the individual's ability to make sense of public policy decisions, on the one hand, and, on the other, to enhance the capacity of multiple stakeholders to take creative, coordinated collective action in solving their shared problems.

The group has decided to offer a course, Seminar in Public Policy: Knowledge, Conflicts & Solutions, in the fall (34:833:685:01 (15105), which will be offered in the Bloustein School, SCILS and Cook. Faculty participating are David Guston, Mike Greenberg, Linda Stamato and Sanford M. Jaffe (Bloustein); Caron Chess and William Hallman (Cook); Mark Aakhus and Claire McInerney (SCILS); and John Weingart (Eagleton Institute). The course involves a broad, interdisciplinary collaboration on the role of knowledge and information in the solutions to public conflicts. Its perspective on knowledge ranges from the traditionally scientific – expertise embodied in credentialed researchers and peer-reviewed publications – to the local – expertise derived from the particular experience of situated participants. The public conflicts the course focuses on are mostly in the realm of environment and health, although other areas may be treated. The course also intends to span the divide between theory and practice by encouraging not only inquiry into the frameworks of the role of knowledge but also exploration of outcomes based on those frameworks – and, perhaps most importantly, the institutions, cultures, and practices between the framework and the outcome.

Secondly, CNCR is undertaking a series of training programs, in New Jersey and elsewhere, to prepare participants for public participation roles, particularly in the area of transportation and transportation planning. Accordingly, we presented three seminars, in Illinois, in May, for planners from throughout Illinois, in conjunction with the American Institute of Certified Planners, on negotiation and conflict resolution, and, particularly, improving the processes and outcomes of decision-making in public contexts.

April 30, 2004

CNCR received the Hubert H. Humphrey Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Humphrey Program at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, on April 29, 2004, at the Graduation and Awards Dinner, at the Rutgers Club.

About the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program was created in 1978 to honor the late vice president of the United States and to embody his commitment to international awareness and understanding. The program provides a unique opportunity for mid-career professionals from designated countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East to come to the United States for a year of academic study and professional development. Each Fellow spends the year engaged in activitiesdesigned to increase his or her professional knowledge as well as managerial, leadership, communication and negotiation skills.

Humphrey Fellows are selected on the basis of their contributions to public service and their potential for national leadership. Each Fellow is an accomplished mid-career professional with a proven commitment to his or her field, holds an undergraduate degree or higher, and has demonstrated fluency in English.

The key components of the Humphrey Fellowship Program include the Humphrey Seminar, professional development activities and a six-week professional affiliation. This year, Humphrey Fellows came from: Syria; Yemen; Myanmar (Burma); Malta; Bangladesh; Algeria; Brazil; Israel; Nigeria and Nepal.

The Center is currently working on three exciting projects:

The first is one that addresses theoretical and practical concerns having to do with intractable controversies, particularly those that emerge in public policy decision-making and what might be done to deal with them more effectively. One domain includes issues relating to health and the environment and another focuses on managing growth. We want to understand how controversies emerge in public policy decision-making in order to come up with practical suggestions for dealing with them. We are especially interested in how communication, information, and media on the one hand contribute to intractability while on the other hand provide means for shaping the possibilities for making sense of them and, thus, for creative problem-solving We aim to develop approaches that enhance the individual's ability to make sense of public policy decisions, on the one hand, and, on the other, to enhance the capacity of multiple stakeholders to take creative, coordinated collective action in solving their shared problems.

The Center is also exploring the creation of New Jersey Solutions, a variation on the Oregon Solutions model, in a joint effort with CPI (which is a significant program of the Policy Consensus Initiative in Oregon).

Lastly, we are undertaking a series of training programs, in New Jersey and elsewhere, to prepare participants for public participation roles, particularly in the area of transportation and transportation planning.

April 12, 2004

Read this announcement from the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice about an exciting summer opportunity for peacemakers.

February 3, 2004

An Updates page has been added to the Web site. Check here when you visit to see what additions have been made to our site.

Syeda Daleya Uddin, a 2002 MPP graduate of the Bloustein School's Public Policy Program, is one of 70 Rotary World Peace Scholars, selected from 1,500 applications worldwide, who are studying peace and conflict resolution at the Institut D'Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po Paris). This is a two-year program whose scholarships are valued at $50,000 and is designed to produce future leaders skilled in peace studies.

You may also want to look at the Association of Conflict Resolution December Update.

Below is information about the workshops we have coordinated in the past and are able to present for your organization. If you are interested, please contact us.

NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE WORKSHOP

CNCR conducted a day long program for the New Jersey State Police for 30 of its high level officers and managers on conflict management issues, both in the workplace, between and among officers and managers, and with respect to the various publics with whom the state police regularly interact. This is the second time that CNCR has done a workshop on this theme, in conjunction with the Police Institute on the Rutgers, Newark campus.

YOUNG WOMEN SCHOLARS WORKSHOP

This workshop took place in November for the negotiation and conflict resolution skill segment of the leadership curriculum provided under the auspices of the Institute for Women's Leadership at Rutgers.

PROBLEM-SOLVING NEGOTIATION: A SKILL DEVELOPMENT SESSION

This skill development workshop introduces a problem-solving approach to negotiation. It provides a framework for conducting negotiations to focus on meeting the needs and interests of people in conflict. The workshop is designed for those who assist others in managing their conflicts (or wish to be prepared to do so) and also for those who wish to improve their understanding of negotiation and to improve their skill and effectiveness in that process.

Participants engage in role plays and in discussions of hypothetical but realistic problem situations in order to experience the negotiation process, enhance understanding of concepts and develop skills. Issues that surface in negotiation are examined as are the barriers--substantive, strategic and cognitive--that can impede effective negotiations. What is provided is a conceptual framework for understanding and approaching negotiations in planning and public policy contexts and an opportunity to gain experience with a specific approach and to become familiar with the skills that are most useful in it.

Draft Agenda (subject to change following discussions) Introduction: Purpose of Workshop Interest-Based Negotiation: An Exercise for demonstrating positions/interests in negotiation A Generic framework Using the Framework: An Exercise for trying the framework Barriers to effective negotiation Effective negotiation strategies and tactics Dealing with Impasse Negotiating a Complex Dispute Conclusion

The workshop is conducted by Sanford M. Jaffe and Linda Stamato, directors of the Center for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. They are experienced teachers, analysts, consultants and practitioners in the conflict resolution field.

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