Dear Orange Friends:
I have been teaching negotiation this semester with Maxwell doctoral candidate Hengel Reina, most recently in the format of a one-credit course offered for nine hours on a Saturday and four hours on a Sunday during the same weekend. The students come from almost all the schools and colleges of the University (with a plurality of law students). We have them negotiate and draft several agreements (a simple sales contract, an employment contract, a settlement of a dispute between a doctor, hospital, and patient). We compare the results of the simulations, review recordings of the students negotiating, and discuss ways to improve as an ethical negotiator.
We had 98 students from the Maxwell Public Administration and International Affairs master’s program in a short version of this course in early October. Our course in mid-October had another 65 students from around the University. I have taught this course at many universities, including Michigan, Penn, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Washington University, and Universidade Catholica in Lisbon.
Syracuse students were spectacular in the course—and they performed better on the exercises than all but one of the more than 25 other classes of students I have taught elsewhere. They are prepared, observant, savvy, and at times brilliant. They also are incredibly diverse in their backgrounds and experience, and they bring that to bear in all they do. It is such a privilege to teach here, and good to know our students stand up so well.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kent Syverud