ACR Update is sent on a regular basis to share important conflict resolution news and organizational updates with our members. We encourage you to scroll through the items listed below, and hope you'll find this information useful. We look forward to your feedback!

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IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Mediator Certification Survey

2. 2005 Annual Conference Update

3. Development Update

4. Publications Update

5. Sections Update

6. Chapters Update

7. Teleconferencing Opportunity for Nonprofit Organizations

8. Quotes

ACR 2005 Annual Conference
"Conflict Resolution in a Changing World: Building the Practice and Fostering Hope"
Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2005
Minneapolis, MN

• Plan to join your colleagues in Minneapolis, Minnesota from September 28 through October 1, 2005 for ACR’s Fifth Annual Conference, “Conflict Resolution in a Changing World: Building the Practice and Fostering Hope.”
  

• ACR’s Annual Conference Program Committee is preparing an exciting conference, and Minneapolis is the place to be! Named “Most Fun City in America” by Money magazine’s “Best Places to Live” expert Bert Sperling, Minneapolis boasts beautiful fall foliage, more than 30 live theater venues, vibrant jazz clubs, and 22 lakes to explore within city limits. The city’s brand new light rail system connects downtown’s lively Warehouse District, the H. H. H. Metrodome, MSP International Airport and the Mall of America, the largest shopping and entertainment center in the country, featuring more than 520 stores, an amusement park, movie theaters and more. So come to the Annual Conference for networking and professional development, but be sure to get to know Minneapolis while you’re there!

ANNUAL CONFERENCE MARKETING UPDATE

• Watch your mailbox for the new 2005 Annual Conference Marketing Brochure, which will be sent to more that 30,000 conflict resolution professionals, practitioners and educators.
  

• This year, ACR is proud to introduce the Sustaining Sponsorship package, which includes the most visible conference opportunities plus year-round advertising benefits in ACR’s acclaimed professional publications: ACResolution, Conflict Resolution Quarterly and “ACR Update.”

3. ACR Development Update

• ACR extends a special thanks to the Georgia Chapter for its generous donation to the 2004 Annual Fund Campaign. A complete list of 2004 Annual Fund donors is printed in the Winter 2005 issue of ACResolution, arriving soon to your mailboxes. Our sincere appreciation goes out to all those who made this year’s campaign a success.
  

• ACR is working closely with the Education Section to develop a foundation proposal to support their work in peer mediation. Any Section that has a fundable project and is interested in writing a grant proposal should contact Penina Rantz, Development and Fundraising Associate, at prantz@ACRnet.org or 202-464-9700, ext. 218 for assistance and guidance. As always, all ACR Section fundraising efforts must be coordinated with Penina and Sections Manager Anne-Marie Burton (aburton@ACRnet.org or 202-464-9700 ext. 247).

4. ACR Publications Update

Here’s a glance at upcoming ACResolution issues in 2005:

The Winter 2005 issue will be “Commercial ADR: A Strategic Business Solution” and includes exciting articles about how commercial mediation is becoming more important in the global economy and various sectors, and how you can become involved in this growing field. Watch your mailbox for this issue to arrive in February.

The Spring 2005 issue will cover Arbitration, including a brief history and a look at various forms of arbitration, and will explore various career opportunities in this field. The Summer 2005 issue will discuss Family Mediation.

ACR is still accepting submission proposals. Please send a 2-3 paragraph proposal for consideration no later than March 10, 2005 to Alison Talbott, ACR’s Publications Manager at publications@ACRnet.org. ACResolution welcomes submissions for its departments (including “World Views,” “Learning Matters,” “Online Update”) as well as “Members in the News” and “Conference Calendar” entries. For submissions and further questions, send an email to Alison Talbott at publications@ACRnet.org or call 202-464-9700, ext. 230.

FAMILY SECTION UPDATE

• Save the date for the next Telephone Talk! Louise Phipps Senft will be featured on the Family Section's next Telephone Talk, scheduled for noon EST on Monday, March 21, 2005. The topic will be announced closer to the date, along with instructions for registering.
  

• The Summer 2005 ACResolution will focus on Family Mediation. Proposals should be submitted to the ACR Publications Manager at publications@ACRnet.org no later than March 10, 2005. For more information on proposals, which must be for original, not previously published articles, go to http://www.ACRnet.org/publications/acresolution.htm.

INTERNATIONAL SECTION

• The “Spanish Track” initiative for ACR’s 2005 Annual Conference in Minneapolis is off to a very strong start. The goal of the Spanish Track is to provide a range of excellent Spanish sessions at the conference and to make available volunteers to provide simultaneous translation for attendees needing assistance with English. During the Spanish Track submission period more than 35 proposals were received from leaders in the field in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, República Dominicana, Spain, Ecuador, Argentina and Perú, among others. The International Section would like to thank all those who have submitted proposals and supported this effort, particularly the Spanish Track Committee members, who have been reviewing the proposals.

WORKPLACE SECTION/LABOR ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION COMMITTEE

• The Labor Arbitrator and Mediation Committee (LAMC) will present its third annual workshop on September 28, 2005, for advanced labor arbitrators at ACR’s Fifth Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. LAMC Co-Chairs Jeremy Cohen, Gary Hattal and Jay Siegel promise this year’s offering will not be a remake of the past workshops but will be a one-day, hands-on program on the development and management of a successful labor arbitration practice.
  
  This learning opportunity is designed for active labor arbitrators with five or more written decisions who desire to advance their careers. Its central focus is on growth, management and development of the professional practice. Learning will depend on interactive participation in discussions with workshop and guest presenters, and problem analysis. Topics will include the challenges of decision-making, advanced award writing, ethical guidelines, and effective methods of growth and business-management of a successful practice. If you have any questions, please contact Jeremy V. Cohen (email: jvcohen1936@yahoo.com).
  
  

• ACR WORKPLACE SECTION ANNOUNCES NEW “LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT ARBITRATOR” ADVANCED PRACTITIONER
  
  The ACR Workplace Section is pleased to announce the first Advanced Practitioner Category for Labor and Employment Arbitrators. A labor and employment arbitrator is a neutral with substantial experience in labor arbitration and/or employment arbitration. This AP designation represents a significant level of experience beyond the ACR Practitioner level designation in issues related to the workplace grievances and litigated employment disputes. More information will be available soon.
  
  

• WORKPLACE MEDIATOR ADVANCED PRACTITIONER DESIGNATION
  
  The ACR Workplace Section currently offers an AP designation for workplace mediators. For more information about this advanced level of membership, please go to http://www.ACRnet.org/referrals/mediators.htm.

ACR GNY (ACR’s Greater New York Chapter) ANNOUNCES JUNE CONFERENCE THEME

• The Greater New York Chapter of ACR has announced the theme of its June conference: “ADR: Wave of the Future or False Prophecy? Have We Stalled? If So, How Do We Jumpstart the Process?” The topic promises to stimulate some lively debate among both presenters and attendees. Bernie Mayer, former ACR Board Member and author of the recently published Beyond Neutrality, will deliver the keynote address at the conference.
  
  The Chapter has put out an RFP for workshops and encourages anyone interested to submit a proposal related to the theme. The RFP can be found under the Greater New York's Chapter Site on ACR’s website, http://www.ACRnet.org. If you have any questions, please contact the ACR GNY Chapter at membership@acrgny.org.

ACR-NORTH CAROLINA CHAPTER UPDATE

• ACR-NC is writing a series of newspaper articles on dispute resolution that could be picked up by papers across the state. Amy Hume, Chair of the Chapter’s PR Committee, is developing a media kit and will be a repository. At the close of each of the articles, readers will be referred to the Chapter’s website for more information. The Chapter is also planning to post member bios on the website, in order to assist website visitors in finding a mediator or facilitator in their area. If other ACR Chapters are interested in joining this effort, please contact Deborah Isenhour at deborah@gutsinc.com.

• February is Human Rights Month, and the Orange County Department of Human Rights has planned a full day of activities for February 6. ACR-NC will have a booth set up from 2-5 p.m. and Chapter member Marianne Haynes is working on programs and locations for meetings across the state to allow those around the state to participate. ACR-NC is also co-sponsoring the Conflict Resolution Training Track for the Quad State Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Conference, which will be held in Charlotte on March 16-18, 2005 at the Adams Mark Hotel.

• The “Peaceful Tomorrows” organization is calling for community events across North Carolina to be held between March 20 and April 9, 2005. These events would feature speakers and workshops that reach out to those beyond their own circles and communities. The goal is to humanize those we tend to stereotype, to increase our understanding of beliefs and positions with which we disagree; and to find common ground with those who share our state and our nation. The events will be publicized under the banner “A World Quilt for Peace.” ACR-NC has offered to contribute facilitators for these events where needed.

ACR-DALLAS CHAPTER UPDATE

• Dallas ACR Chapter President Sheikha Hobeiche opened 2005 with a presentation from the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association (TMCA). LaCrisa Gilbert and Suzanne Duval, both respected Dallas-area professional mediators and members of the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association, spoke to the Dallas ACR Chapter about the hot topic of credentialing and ethics. Ms. Hobeiche stated: “Ms. Gilbert and Ms. Duval are key players in the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association movement, and I want to ensure that our members have no excuse when the time comes to pay the ‘credentialing piper’ so to speak. Our profession must take this evolutionary course if we are to truly succeed.”
  

• The Honorable Carolyn Wright, Appellate Court Justice for the Texas Court of Appeals for the Fifth District will be the featured guest speaker at the Dallas Chapter’s February 22, 2005 meeting. Justice Wright, a fourth-generation Texan, has served in the judiciary for the last 20 years. While many of the positions she has held during her tenure have been historical firsts for women and minorities serving in the Dallas Judiciary, her election to the Court of Appeals marks the first time in Texas history that an African-American woman has ever won a multi-county election for an elected office. Justice Wright was one of a few Dallas judges who played key roles as mediation advocates in the 1980s.
  

• ACR Dallas Chapter members will serve as Volunteer Ambassadors during the annual Texas Association of Mediators conference, to be held February 25-26 in Dallas. Volunteers from both the Dallas and Houston Chapters will attend the two-day conference and staff the membership table sponsored by ACR and the Dallas and Houston Chapters.
  

7. Teleconferencing Opportunity for Nonprofit Organizations

• Nonprofit organizations can now receive a rate of $.08/minute/person for reservation-less teleconferencing from “A Professional Conference Call” (APC), the same service ACR uses. In order to be eligible you must provide proof of your nonprofit status and list ACR as a reference in order to receive the $.08 rate.
  
  For more information please contact Mark Wilson, ACR Office Manager at mwilson@ACRnet.org or Dawn Woodall from APC, at dawnw@aprocall.com, 1-800-369-1221.

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