Carter School News

Honors College student Avery Shippen earned degrees in conflict analysis and resolution and art and visual technology while receiving multiple prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and international study opportunities. Her interdisciplinary work blending graphic design and peacebuilding, along with internships in global affairs and national security, has prepared her to pursue a career in education policy and curriculum development.

Oakley Hill, a PhD candidate at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, leverages Root Narrative Theory (RNT) to analyze how political narratives shape public perception, ideology, and voting behavior in the United States. His research, including the national Justice Languages of America Survey, highlights the distinct ways liberals, conservatives, and moderates interpret political conflict while advancing practical conflict resolution through mediation and facilitation work.

Qatar’s Minister of State, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al‑Khulaifi, spoke at George Mason University’s Carter School on the country’s role in international mediation, emphasizing trust, neutrality, cultural understanding, and sustainable peace agreements. Drawing on real-world diplomatic efforts across multiple global conflicts, the talk highlighted the growing importance of adaptive, experience-driven approaches to modern peacemaking.

The Center for Peacemaking Practice at George Mason University’s Carter School advances conflict resolution through practitioner‑driven research, global partnerships, and hands‑on learning. CPP works locally and internationally with peacebuilders, hosts fellows and study visits, and connects real‑world experience to theory and practice—offering students direct engagement in peacebuilding, facilitation, and program design across conflict‑affected regions.

Two Carter School undergraduates represented George Mason University at the 2026 Oxford Consortium for Human Rights in War and Climate Emergency Conference, where they presented original research alongside global scholars. Supported by faculty mentorship and donor funding, the students gained hands-on international experience, expanded their professional networks, and explored new academic interests—highlighting the Carter School’s commitment to creating transformative opportunities for students beyond the classroom.

Regina Garcia Garcia, a second-year student at the Carter School with a concentration in Building Peace in Divided Societies, found purpose in working with immigrants and first-generation college-bound students.

In spring 2024, during his internship with MHCR, Jonathan Fang and his supervisor, Rowda Olad, a mental health and psychosocial support expert and associate director of the MHCR, came upon the idea of developing a series of student-focused conversations on difficult, but relevant topics to students and inviting different cultural and ethnic student groups to participate.

On Thursday, April 16, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution will host the virtual panel discussion “Navigating the Impact of Changes in Climate Governance on Fragile States.” Presented as part of the Carter School’s 2026 Peace Week, the event will examine shifts in the global climate governance landscape and identify emerging institutional and governance gaps.

On February 11, 2026, Olesya Vartanyan, a first-year PhD student at George Mason's Carter School and conflict analyst with more than 15 years of field experience in the South Caucasus, took part in a congressional briefing on the political situation in Georgia. The event was hosted by the U.S. Helsinki Commission, a bipartisan body bringing together members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

From October to mid-February, the Venerable Buddhist monks of the Dhammacetiya Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center of Fort Worth, Texas walked more than 2,300 miles to Washington, D.C. Known as the Walk for Peace, their goal was to raise awareness of the global need for peace as well as how we can practice and foster peace in our own lives and neighborhoods.