Kroc School Response to Coronavirus
COVID-19 has presented many challenges and opportunities for peacebuilders and social innovators around the world, including for students and employees of the Kroc School. As professionals in changemaking fields, we recognize and model adaptability during unprecedented challenges.
The resources on this page demonstrate just a handful of the ways we are staying agile, creative, and helpful in an effort to support current and prospective students, and to contribute positively to the broader peacebuilding community. We will continue to populate this page with resources as they become available.
For Prospective Students
During this time of uncertainty, we are adapting to meet the evolving needs of our students in a remote environment. Our entire USD community is working together to offer robust student services. We are also preparing to welcome new students in the 2020-2021 academic year in a more flexible manner.
For the Community
The Kroc School and its institutes are providing learning resources and hosting virtual events that enable social innovators and peacebuilders – including government agencies such as USAID and the UK’s department of International Development – to address increasing violence and conflict trends during this crisis.
- Kroc School Admissions Team Contact Info:
- Hilary Beggs, Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions
- Email: hbeggs@sandiego.edu
- Phone: (619) 260-7929
- Make an appointment: sandiego.edu/peace/meetadmissions
- Hilary Beggs, Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions
- USD’s Main COVID-19 Page – See the latest COVID-19-related communications from the University.
- Frequently Asked Questions – A carefully curated list of answers to common questions from prospective students related to COVID-19 and Kroc School admissions.
- Application Provisions Due to COVID-19 – Learn about the provisions for Spring 2021, Summer 2021, and Fall 2021 graduate school applicants.
- Dean‘s Message: Resilience Everywhere – Read a message from Kroc School Dean Márquez about how our team and students are responding to these trying times.
- Virtual Tour of the Kroc School – Join MA in Peace and Justice alumnus Dana Chavaria on a tour to some of his favorite places in the Kroc School. Then:
- Learn more about the building that houses the Kroc School in this video.
- Explore a few of the areas that make the Kroc School a unique and memorable place for learning, including the Garden of the Sea, Rotunda, Reflection Room, Wasson Innovation Lab, and Peace and Justice Theatre.
- Thinking Outside The Classroom: Kroc School Seizes Opportunities Presented by Remote Learning – See several examples of how faculty and students are taking advantage of their new circumstances to reflect, innovate, and act.
- Rolling with the Punches: Peace, Social Change and The Art of Adaptability – Learn about why the ability to adapt to changing circumstances is a critical peacebuilding skill.
- Conflict Resolution Is Key to the Changes We Are All Seeking out of COVID-19 –Read the letter from the Head of the MS in Conflict Management and Resolution program about how the Kroc School is preparing students to lead positive change through the monumental shifts that have occurred in the workplace and the world at large.
- Toreros Together – View the stories of compassion, courage, insight and resilience that define the Torero spirit.
- #BuildaBridgetoBetter: Recommendations to Drive Pandemic Responses – Consider five steps the Director of Impact:Peace says we can take that would create real, fundamental shifts towards a global solution. Then, take your learning further by considering her perspective on Fragility and Pandemics: Finding the right equation to steer action and How COVID-19 Will Impact Violence and What We Can Do About It. To dive even deeper, watch a webinar on this topic.
- Why the U.S. Buys Too Many Missiles and Not Enough Masks – Read the Kroc IPJ Executive Director's perspective that America’s gendered approach to “national security” means preparing for wars, not pandemics.
- The Global Pandemic Has Spawned New Forms of Activism – and They’re Flourishing – Learn about one Kroc School professor's research which has identified nearly 100 distinct methods of nonviolent action during the pandemic. Then, watch a brief interview with the professor to get the backstory and hear what's next.
- Building Peace Amidst COVID-19: Voices from our Peacemakers From Around the World – Learn five of the ways in which COVID-19 is shaping the peacebuilding landscape, according to the Kroc IPJ.
- Innovating Through Tough Times – Check out a few of the incredible USD and Fowler GSIC alumni whose contributions are well suited to meet the needs of this pandemic.
- Self-Care Is Community Care – Read insights from a MS in Conflict Management and Resolution alum about how to stay present and grounded in a time of unpredictability.
- Resources on COVID-19 Relevance to Violence, Conflict & Peacebuilding – Explore an extensive list of links curated by the Kroc IPJ covering COVID-19 and the multitude of reverberating effects it is having worldwide.

Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies