Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Alpaslan Özerdem, dean of George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, recently participated in discussions at the 2025 Global Higher Education Symposium, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on July 18.

For the past 10 years, the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason has partnered with Shinnyo-en Foundation in their shared mission of developing young people as peacebuilders. The Carter School and the California-based Shinnyo-en Foundation seek to bring different groups together, honoring every voice, navigating darkness, and illuminating paths toward peace.

The Dean of the Carter School, Alpaslan Özerdem, highlights the school's dedication to Carter's principles, including conflict resolution, human rights, health, housing, and social justice in this interview with WTOP.

Today, we bid a final farewell to President Jimmy Carter, a leader whose legacy as a peacemaker, humanitarian, and advocate for justice has left an indelible mark on our world. As we honor his extraordinary life and the profound partnership he shared with Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, we are reminded of his powerful words:
 
"My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have, to try to make a difference."

Susan Allen joined WTOP’s Sarah Jacobs to discuss Carter’s achievements, including being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Former President Jimmy Carter is remembered foremost as an agent of peace by the school that bears his name.

As a graduate student working to obtain her Conflict Analysis and Resolution masters through the accelerated masters program, Merisa Mattix is passionate about assisting and guiding Honors College students as they navigate their initial semester of research through the class: "I love learning about the vast variety of ideas that students come up with and helping them pursue their interests."

Passionate about travelling and exploring different perspectives, Conflict Analysis and Resolution Senior Melaina Kuhl deeply appreciates the people, experiences, and self-growth she underwent through abroad opportunities at George Mason University: "I learned different things from different places."

From his undergraduate to PhD studies, Keil Eggers emphasizes the critical role of mutual discussion and understanding of perspectives between parties to resolve conflicts and foster long-lasting peace: "Peace doesn’t exist as a final outcome, but rather as a continual process of discovering how we can live together."

University Scholar Avery Shippen's intersecting interests in design and the public sector, reflected in the junior's double major in Conflict Analysis and Resolution & Art and Visual Technology, led her unexpected journey to the Carter School as she strives to make a positive difference in the world: "I want to find a way to include creative processes to help marginalized communities recover after conflict."