The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution has provided advice on the development of this program and will supply many of the instructors. In 1998, US News named the Straus Institute as one of the top resolution programs in legal education. Harvard, Ohio State and University of Missouri were also included in this list. A Distinctive Christian Perspective - Consistent with the values of a Christian University, the Conflict Mediation Certificate Program is offered as an extension of its beliefs that Christians are called to manage conflict in the home, church, organizational and interpersonal environments. Combination of Skills and Theory - ACU certificate program offers both theory and skill development.
Students leave understanding why they do what they do, and being able to do it very well.
Thursday night through Saturday afternoon - three weeks apart. The skill development nature of the program is best served by the concentrated time frame. The classroom work for each of the three credit courses is completed within one month. Outside reading and written assignments will take place before and after each session. While most conflict mediation programs require 25-40 hours of training, this program offers 240 classroom hours of training over the course of eight months for those who are considering careers in conflict mediation or find themselves with significant conflict mediation responsibilities in a current career.