Director’s Update

Harry C. Katz is the Director of the Scheinman Institute and the Jack Sheinkman Professor of Collective Bargaining.

I draw your attention to two important new Institute initiatives. I am pleased to report that we will be seeking enrollees for the fall 2021 start of an MPS in Conflict Resolution (masters in professional studies).  Enrollees will be required to have 8 years of post-bachelor degree work experience.

The audience for this program will be individuals seeking to deepen or pursue conflict resolver roles within an organization (e.g. ombuds or dedicated organizational mediators) or individuals seeking to transition to a full-time mediator or arbitrator career. The program will draw from strengths and capabilities within the Scheinman Institute and correspondingly focus on workplace-related conflict resolution.

Students of diverse demographic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 
 
Scholarship support is available. Preference will be given to candidates who enhance the diversity, equity and inclusion of the conflict resolution field and that of the university.

We welcome your help in recruiting applicants, especially at this early stage so please get the word out via your networks.  In a few weeks we will begin to market the program on our website and through other channels. At this point interested individuals should contact me.  

Our goal is to launch the new MPS degree program with a first class of 3-5 students starting in fall 2021. We hope the program will eventually grow to a size of 10 students per year. The Scheinman Institute will assist graduates of the program in job placement.

The second new initiative involves the welcoming of our first Scheinman Institute post-doctoral fellows this fall. Both fellows will spend the academic year in residence in Ithaca. They will teach one conflict resolution course each semester and participate in a variety of Institute activities, interacting with faculty and students.

The two post docs are Lucas Clover Alcolea and Aibak Hafeez. Both are completing their PhD dissertations this semester. Lucas, studying at McGill University, is an expert on legal issues related to the use of arbitration to settle international and commercial disputes.

Aibak, a student of our alum Ryan Lamare at the University of Illinois, has conducted several studies comparing settlement rates and outcomes in workplace arbitration and litigation. Lucas will teach our dispute practicum course with a focus on international and commercial disputes while Aibak will teach our managing workplace conflict course. Together they’ll help expand the Scheinman Institute’s role on campus and in the wider conflict resolution field.