Mediation at JMU

Conflict Resolution on College Campuses

College communities are inherently changing and challenging, causing stress and conflict among their members. Students, educators, and administrators nationwide are increasingly recognizing the value of incorporating a system for conflict resolution on their campuses.

Mediation programs give people the opportunity to resolve their own disputes in a confidential setting rather than allowing resentments to fester, misunderstandings to continue, conflicts to escalate, or asking a third party to make the decisions. Mediators guide and encourage communication between the disputing parties, and thereby empower the disputants to design their own solution.

Since July 1998, the PROPS steering committee has been working to custom design such a program for JMU in accordance with many of the ideas of the Centennial Commission's Report. Conflict resolution skills support a collaborative atmosphere and create a more peaceful and productive community.

Mediation at JMU: A Brief History

Mediation is not new to JMU. The Faculty Senate recognized its value in 1987 and established the Center for Mediation. Madison Mediators, a group of students interested in conflict resolution, formed in 1996. The group supported the services of the Center and began to educate the community about conflict skills and the potential of mediation. By integrating the strengths and interests of the university's students and staff with the administration, the Program for Productive Solutions hopes to be an asset in achieving the goals set forth in the Centennial Commission's Report.

PROPS assumes that college campuses need to find a more productive approach to conflict; that a student-operated center would best serve the student population by providing the opportunity for resolving conflict and improving interpersonal skills; and that community and administrative support are vital to the operations of such a center so as to make JMU a more effective and collaborative university.

* Reference: Campus Mediation Resources

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