Louise Ross - MA in Conflict Analysis and Management (MACAM)
I came to Royal Roads to study Conflict Analysis and Management. It is a relatively new and exciting area of specialization in social science, and is an amalgam of psychology, anthropology, sociology, and justice. When I started the program I was a Consulting Manager with one of the major banks in Canada. My focus was on the design and improvement of business processes throughout a large and complex organization. Like in organizations everywhere, I’d been exposed to conflict between individuals, groups, and departments. I’d had previous training in change management, facilitation, and communications, but nothing like the depth that this degree equipped me to analyze and understand. Even as I was studying I started to see the practical application, which made it really practical and relevant, and kept me motivated to learn more.
When I decided to pursue graduate education, I realized that all the other options required me to suspend my working life to study full time. At RRU, the combination of residencies and online teaching let me balance education with full-time work while also maintaining my responsibilities to family and community at home. The RRU model really worked for me.
Our cohort of 35 learners came from all over the world: South America, the Middle East, India, Iran, the U.S. and Canada. After the first residency, we formed six-person study groups and communicated regularly on-line to complete distance courses. And our groups shifted around with each new course so there were different people to learn with and different perspectives to draw from. We’d have spirited discussions and wonderful debates. A professor was always there to monitor our dialogues, injecting ideas, poking us in one direction, prodding us towards another. Royal Roads is definitely not a “chalk-and-talk” environment. There is a lot of independent discovery and learning from reflection.
The learners who I studied with ranged in age from 23 to 65. They include nurses, lawyers, writers, an orthopaedic surgeon, legal assistants, even a military officer just back from Afghanistan. It was a terrific group of bright, motivated people, and I developed a network of friends and trusted colleagues who will stay with me forever.
The professors at RRU are current and passionate about their work. They come from so many backgrounds: the diplomatic corps, reconciliation, mediation, and First Nations work. Many are active practitioners as well as scholars at the top of their field, but the all were approachable. With a philosophy that we are all learners, rather than students, they treat us as colleagues and collaborators, in this new field. We learn from each other, and from practical experiences, not just from theories and books.
The campus is so gorgeous! Nobody can believe it at home. I have favourite spots in the Japanese garden where I study and share the space with peacocks, rabbits and deer. RRU gives you a sense of being special because you’re in a place that is so treasured and protected.
There have been a lot of changes in my life because of Royal Roads. Friends, family and colleagues now come to me and say, ‘Can I talk to you about this or that?’ They’re curious now about whether I can offer them another perspective or some deeper understanding about conflicts in our community, organizations, and the wider world. Royal Roads has made me an analyst who keeps learning, rather than just an expert.
I’m excited and completely reenergized after studying at Royal Roads. I’m at a point in my life where friends are starting to take up golf and contemplate retirement, but I don’t like golf and I’m not ready to retire. Earning a Masters degree at this stage is simply more than the recognition of hanging something on the wall. It’s revitalizing my career, and facilitating totally new aspirations. Dreams have no expiry date! Royal Roads is making dreams come true. After the adventure of the last two years, I know this is just the start. I’ll be spending the rest of my life learning too.
