Message from the Director

As we interact with each other as a diverse and growing community, conflict is inevitable. The causes of conflict are as complicated as we are human. Sometimes the causes setting the stage for conflict push us to the brink and weaken the stability of our relationships as peers and colleagues.

We can choose to be held hostage by the negative pull of conflict, by accepting it and do nothing, or choose to find our way out, and say yes to intelligent and civil coexistence. At the heart of our ability to recover and learn from conflict, is the value we place on our relationships with each other.

Accepting our differences, acknowledging what we have contributed to the conflict and being willing to take responsibility or apologize for what we have done or not done, creates an opportunity for finding common ground.

Common ground enables us to learn how to resolve our differences in ways that respect our dignity. Learning how to disagree in a reflective way can raise our consciousness and give us the language to approach conflict as a catalyst in which to evolve as a community instead of being stagnated by it.

We, each and every one of us, have a distinct role in defining what the University of California, Irvine is currently and what it can be. The Mediation Program exists to serve, inspire and teach practical skills that will help us as a community forge and sustain effective working relationships.

Respectfully,

J. Michael Chennault
University Ombudsman & Director of the Mediation Program