Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University hosted the Minister of State of Qatar, His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, for a presentation on “The Role of Qatar in International Mediation and Peacemaking,” on May 6 at Mason Square.

Avery Shippen, a George Mason University Honors College graduate, earned dual 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.

When George Mason University senior Avery Butler was 16, his family traveled to Cambodia to visit the Killing Fields, the massacre sites associated with the country’s brutal Khmer Rouge era. The experience would change Butler’s perspective on life and inspire him to pursue a professional career in peacebuilding.

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.

George Mason University’s Point of View event and retreat facility in Lorton, Virginia, includes 120 acres of wooded land adjacent to the tranquil Belmont Bay and bordered by a protected wildlife refuge and state park. Point of View presents many opportunities to observe wildlife along the water, and staffers have recently observed adult and juvenile bald eagles watching for fish in some of their "eagle trees,” as staff have started to call them.

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.