May 4 Memorial
A Living Memorial to May 4, 1970
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies
A Living Memorial to May 4, 1970
Four Lanterns for May 4 victims
Understanding, Imagining, and Practicing Peaceful Change
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies
Understanding, Imagining, and Practicing Peaceful Change
Annual Candlelight March
A Living Memorial to May 4, 1970
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies
A Living Memorial to May 4, 1970
Kent State May 4 Ohio Historical Marker
A Living Memorial to May 4, 1970
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies
A Living Memorial to May 4, 1970
KSU Rock says Flashes Take Care of Flashes
Understanding, Imagining, and Practicing Peaceful Change
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies
Understanding, Imagining, and Practicing Peaceful Change
Why Study With SPCS?
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May 4 Information

In search of SPCS ... 

If you're looking for us in McGilvrey Hall, you will find that our office space is currently a construction zone while it is being remodeled and expanded.  Faculty, staff and graduate students have been temporarily assigned office space in various locations on campus.  Here is a listing of the locations of our temporary offices for Fall 2023.

 

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SPCS contruction zone

 

 

 

 

Fall 2023 Office locations:

 

SPCS Director:
Neil  Cooper - 302 Bowman (Political Science), Office 39

 

SPCS secretary:
Dina Rathburn - 302 Bowman (Political Science), Office 17

 

SPCS graduate coordinator/advisor, faculty:
Landon Hancock - 302 Bowman (Political Science), Office 27

 

SPCS undergraduate coordinator/advisor, faculty:
Karen Cunningham - 302 Bowman (Political Science), Office 26

 

SPCS Internship/individual investigation advisor, undergraduate advisor, faculty:
Jacquelyn Bleak - 302 Bowman (Political Science), Office 43

 

SPCS faculty:
Tatsushi Arai - Merrill 226
Elaine Hsiao - McGilvrey 314
Sara Koopman - Merrill 226
Ashley Nickels - McGilvrey 308

Molly Merryman - McGilvrey 314 (away during Fall 2023)
Johanna Solomon - Merrill 226 (away during Fall 2023)

 

Graduate Teaching Assistant offices:
Merrill 226

What's New at SPCS?

  

  • New! Masters of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies

    New! Masters of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies

    The School of Peace and Conflict Studies at Kent State University will be offering a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies starting in Fall 2023.

    Learn More

  • New! Environment, Peace and Justice Minor

    New! Environment, Peace and Justice Minor

    Beginning in Fall 2023, SPCS is offering a new interdisciplinary minor in Environment, Peace & Justice.

    Learn More

  • New! 3+3 Law School Program

    New! 3+3 Law School Program

    The Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) major is now part of Kent State’s 3+3 Law School Program, which allows students to complete both their bachelor's degree and a law degree in six years. 

    Learn More
Annual Candlelight March
Our Historical Legacy

Kent State University's School of Peace and Conflict Studies (SPCS) evolved from what was originally known as the Center for Peaceful Change.  The Center for Peaceful Change was founded in 1971 as Kent State University's original "living memorial" to the students killed on May 4, 1970 when Ohio National Guardsmen killed four and injured nine Kent State University students during a student protest against the United States' war in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.   It was renamed the Center for Applied Conflict Management (CACM) in 1994, and in 2017,  transformed into the School of Peace and Conflict Studies.

 

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  • Peace Rock
    Mission and Vision

    The mission and vision of the School of Peace and Conflict Studies include a strong commitment to research, teaching and practice that helps to bring about positive peaceful change at the personal, organizational, community, national and global levels.

    Read More
  • Undergraduate Program

    SPCS offers a BA in Peace & Conflict Studies, as well as minors in Peace & Conflict Studies, and Environment, Peace & Justice.  Our popular Intro to Conflict Management course fulfills both Kent Core and diversity requirements, and teaches valuable skills for students in any major.

    Read More
  • Part of the new Student Green located in front of the Risman Plaza.
    Graduate Programs

    At the graduate level SPCS now offers a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies.  SPCS faculty also teach courses in the Conflict Analysis and Management concentration of the graduate program in Political Science.   Peace and Conflict Studies graduate-level courses are also included in the Leading Through Challenge Graduate Certificate program offered by the College of Business.

    Read More
  • CACM Alumni Panel
    What Can I Do with a PACS Degree?

    Our alumni are employed in a variety of fields which include mediation, human resources, law, social work and counseling, nonprofit management, social services, government, education and training, community organizing and activism, business, and finance.

    Read More
  • Photo of B'nai B'rith Hillel Marker on May 4 site
    May 4th Legacy Scholarships

    The May 4th Legacy Scholarship Program  provides four scholarships to be given to students majoring in our Peace and Conflict Studies program, in honor of the four students killed on May 4, 1970. 

    Read More
Rwanda Peace Conference program booklet

Highlights of the Global Peace Education Conference in Rwanda - July 11-13, 2023

In July 2023, School of Peace and Conflict Studies faculty and students, as well as other members of the Kent State community and local educators, traveled to Kigali, Rwanda to participate in the “Peace Education in an Era of Crisis” conference.  The event, which ran from July 11 through July 13, was attended by delegates from 14 countries and nine U.S. states.

Read More
Featured News
Aug 01, 2023
WKSU’s “The Sound of Ideas” discusses Global Peace Conference in Rwanda
Aug 01, 2023
Dr. Ashley Nickels selected as Journal Editor
Aug 01, 2023
SPCS Faculty Member Elaine Hsiao Discusses Environmental and Climate justice
Jul 13, 2023
Students Present Their Experience in Colombia at Rwanda Peace Education Conference
Jul 13, 2023
Kent State research presented at Rwanda Peace Education Conference
View More News

Contact Us

Email: spcs@kent.edu
Phone: 330-672-3143
Fax: 330-672-0668

Need help resolving conflict? 
Find Conflict Resolution Services on campus.

The SPCS Listserv sends out periodic emails about jobs, internships, news and events related to conflict management and social change. Sign up to join the listerv.

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