WELCOME TO ACR UPDATE—the monthly e-newsletter sharing important conflict resolution news and organizational updates with ACR members. Your feedback is welcome!

To view this issue online, go to: http://www.ACRnet.org/publications/acrupdate.htm

OVERVIEW OF ARTICLES
December 1, 2005

1. ACR's Sixth Annual Conference: Call for Proposals Opens Today, December 1, 2005

2. Publications Update: Spring ACResolution Call for Proposals; 20% Discount for ACR members on new book 

3. Please Support ACR's 2005 Annual Fund

4. Special Membership Offer

5. Section Teleconference Series: Spirituality Section Writers' Teleconference Forum

6. Section News: Family and Workplace Sections

7. Chapter News: Greater Delaware Valley, Georgia, Houston, New Jersey, Greater New York, and Washington, D.C. Chapters

8. Quotations

9. Message from our Sponsor: Mediate.com

2006 Annual Conference Proposals Accepted Online

December 1, 2005–January 15, 2006

ACR requests proposals for its Sixth Annual Conference, to be held October 25-28, 2006 in Philadelphia, PA. Online submission of proposals for workshops begins December 1, 2005, and closes January 15, 2006.  Please visit our website http://www.ACRnet.org/conferences/ac06/index.htm for further information and instructions! 

Call for Article Proposals: Spring 2006 Issue

ACR’s Spring 2006 issue of ACResolution magazine will focus on the topic of Marketing Your Practice. The editors seek proposals from people who would like to write articles on any aspect of this topic. They seek diversity in authors and subject matter; authors do not have to be ACR members.

If interested, please include:

• half-page description of your proposed article,

• title/headline for your article,

• your name and contact information,

• one to three lines of biographical information, including any affiliation with ACR, and

• whether you would like to write a major (3,000 words) or minor (1,500 words) feature.

Send your proposals via email to ACResolution Managing Editor at publications at ACRnet.org  as soon as possible, but no later than December 10, 2005.

An editorial advisory committee will review the proposals and choose 2–3 major features and 2–3 minor features. All authors will be notified by end of December.  If selected, completed articles will be due by February 1, 2005.

For more information about ACR publications and guidelines, please visit http://www.ACRnet.org/publications/acresolution.htm.

20% Discount for ACR Members on new book

John W. (Jack) Cooley’s Creative Problem Solver’s Handbook for Negotiators and Mediators: A Pragmatic Approach, Volume One is published by ABA–Section of Dispute Resolution with generous support from ACR.

Written by Jack Cooley, a longtime ACR member, this book takes a pracademic approach to creative problem solving in negotiation and mediation. “Pracademics” is a term used to describe the art and science of translating the theory of creative problem solving into practice, and conversely, converting the practice of creative problem solving into theory. It encourages an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems and seeks to draw upon the expertise of one discipline to enhance the problem-solving effectiveness in another.

ACR members receive a 20% discount on this book; call 1-800-285-2221 for details.

 

ACR MEMBERS: Take advantage of your valuable members-only benefits today! Online Discussion Forums/ Message Board Access to the full Membership Directory Reduced Rates on Professional Liability Insurance ACR Job Bank CRQ Online: Access ACR's Academic Journal online anytime 20% off Purchases from BNA Books and Jossey-Bass publications Discounts on Medical Insurance, Hertz Car Rental and buymagazines.com and much more... Log in to the Online Member Center today and get started!

It’s not too late to make a difference!  All Annual Fund gifts received by December 31, 2005 are tax-deductible for the year 2005.  Help us continue to offer the services and professional community you need.  Membership dues don’t cover all our operating costs, so we really need your gift to sustain our work.  You can mail checks to our office at 1015 18th Street NW, Suite 1150, Washington DC 20036.  If you have further questions, please email us at development at ACRnet.org.

May the holiday season bring peace and joy to you all, and we look forward to working together in 2006.  Many, many thanks from the staff and Board of ACR.

Spirituality Section: Writers’ Teleconference Forum 

The Spirituality Section is pleased to announce a “Writers’ Teleconference Forum” featuring five authors who contributed to the Fall 2005 issue of ACResolution magazine on “Spirituality and the Heart of Conflict Resolution.”  Visit the Spirituality Section’s website  for further details.

Mark Umbreit, Mindfulness, Deep Listening and Stories:  The Spiritual Core of Peacemaking, January 16, 2006, 3:00 p.m. Eastern/12:00 p.m. Pacific

Tom Fisher, Beginner’s Mind:  Cultivating Mediator Mindfulness, February 16, 2006, 4:00 p.m. Eastern/1:00 p.m. Pacific

Erica Fox, Seeing With New Eyes, One Step Toward the Field of the Future, March 2006 (TBD)

Kenneth Cloke, Why Every Conflict Breaks Your Heart:  Conflict as a Spiritual Crisis, April 13, 2006, 3:00 p.m. Eastern/12:00 p.m. Pacific

Daniel Bowling, Who Am I as a Mediator?  Mindfulness, Reflection and Presence, May 10, 2006, 3:00 p.m. Eastern/12:00 p.m. Pacific

This teleconference is free.  However, you must be a member of the Spirituality Section to participate.  Good news: you can join online and it costs only $15 for ACR Members.  Just contact ACR’s Membership Department at membership at ACRnet.org, or log into the Online Member Center, click on “My Account History,” and click on “Add Sections.”

Interested in participating in a teleconference? Send an email to sections at ACRnet.org to receive dial-in instructions.

Please note: most Section teleconferences are a Section member benefit. To join a Section, log in to ACR’s Online Member Center, click on “My Account History,” then “Add Sections,” and select the Sections you want to add.

ACR Family Section: Conference Exhibiting, Planning and Collaborating

Family Section at Employee Assistance Professionals Association Conference

With the goal of promoting the ACR roster of Advanced Practitioners, the Family Section and the Workplace Section shared a booth at the Employee Assistance Professionals Association Conference in Philadelphia in October.

Family Section Mid-Year Conference: Save the Date and Submit a Proposal!

The Family Section is bringing back its mid-year conference, “Making Waves—Breaking Barriers,” to be held in Cape Cod July 13–16, 2006. An RFP is available on the Family Section’s webpage at http://www.mediate.com/ACRFamily/pg17.cfm.  Anyone interested in submitting a proposal is invited to do so. You need NOT be a member of the Family Section. Just download the form and send it to kolman.3 at osu.edu no later than Monday, January 9, 2006. Ken Neumann and Glenn Dornfeld are co-chairing the conference.

Family Section and AFCC Conference

The Family Section will once again collaborate on family mediation programming at the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) annual conference, to be held May 31–June 3, 2006 in Tampa Bay, Florida. AFCC will also work with the Family Section at its exciting mid-year conference in Cape Cod.

ACR Workplace Section Announces Founding Class of Labor and Employment Arbitrator Advanced Practitioners (APs)

The Workplace Section is pleased to announce that a founding class has been selected for Advanced Practitioner (AP) membership in Labor and Employment Arbitration. In May 2005, ACR implemented this AP designation for Workplace arbitrators. Currently, there are 15 approved arbitrators; the founding class is a blend of labor arbitrators, employment arbitrators and those with a mixed practice. The Workplace Section is implementing a national marketing strategy to attract additional APs to this special Workplace community.

The Workplace Section would specifically like to thank labor arbitrator and former ACR President Nancy Peace of Newburyport, Massachusetts for her ongoing commitment to implementing the arbitrator AP membership category and leading the first review of applications.

The Workplace Section also offers an AP designation for Workplace mediators. There are many tangible benefits to becoming a Workplace mediator or arbitrator AP, including networking, case consultation, and practice development. For more information on applying to become a Workplace arbitrator or mediator AP, visit the ACR website .

ACR Workplace Section Seeks Labor and Employment Arbitrators to Apply for Advanced Practitioner Status

The Workplace Section seeks labor and employment arbitrators to apply for its Advanced Practitioner membership category. This designation offers the nation’s most senior Workplace arbitrators a new and vibrant community of peers. (There is no professional organization dedicated to employment arbitrators.) Membership is open to labor arbitrators, employment arbitrators, or those with a mixed practice. A specified number and mix of countable cases is required for application. There is no degree requirement.

The standards of membership and the application form are available on the ACR website. ACR membership is required, but can be obtained in the application process.

If you are an active labor or employment arbitrator, apply now!

ACR Workplace Section Selling CDs for its Teleseminars

Please check the Workplace Section’s website  for details on purchasing CDs of these teleseminars: “Violence in the workplace: A New Way to Recognize Potential Explosions and Effectively Intervene” and “Extreme Facilitation.”

Greater Delaware Valley Chapter Dinner Meeting

ACR’s Greater Delaware Valley Chapter held an October 2005 dinner meeting at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Professor Jenny Beer spoke to an audience of 40 members and non-members about “Mediation and Negotiation Skills.”

Join ACR’s Georgia Chapter (ACR-GA) for its 4^thAnnual Chapter Meeting and Celebration on Tuesday, December 6!

This exciting event will be in the Hilton Atlanta Hotel, 255 Courtland St. NE, Atlanta, GA from 6:30–9:00 p.m.  Guest Speaker Dr. Linda M. Johnston, Director Conflict Management MA Program at Kennesaw State University will present “When Worlds Collide: Managing International Conflict at Home and Abroad” (qualifies for 1 hour of CE credit – approval pending).  The evening will include a lively 2005 Year in Review Presentation; a sneak-peek at 2006 coming attractions, 2006 Board Elections, Volunteer Awards, celebration, fun, hors d’oeuvres, dessert, music and cash bar.  Onsite registration.  ACR-GA Chapter Members – Free; Nonmembers – $20. Join ACR-GA on December 5th and receive free admission! RSVP to programs at acrga.org or call (770) 66-ACRGA.

Join ACR’s Houston Chapter for its Holiday Party, Wednesday, December 7!

The party will be held at 21 Briar Hollow Lane – Penthouse (Between San Felipe and Post Oak Blvd., inside I-610 West Loop South – Uptown) from 6:00–8:00 p.m.  Sip champagne, warm your soul with hot cider, chat with friends, listen to the holiday vocals of recording artist Johanna Bonno, and enjoy more than 5,000 Santa Claus collectibles.  The setting sparkles with holiday cheer, so wear your festive casual, and join your friends at the Santa magic of Martha Tucker.  Children must be at least 14 years old.   Donation to ACR is $10 per person before 12/1/05 or $15 after 12/1/05.  Mail to: ACR Santa Party, 21 Briar Hollow Lane, Suite 508, Houston, Texas 77027.  Free valet and self-parking at the door.  Please R.S.V.P. by December 1 to Barbara Manousso at (713) 840-0828 or mediation at manousso.us.

ACR’s New Jersey Chapter: Conflict Resolution Day Success and Annual Meeting

ACR’s New Jersey Chapter shepherded a Joint Legislative resolution to mark Conflict Resolution Day, celebrated on October 20, 2005.

At its Annual Meeting, ACR’s New Jersey Chapter honored Thomas N. Farrell, coordinator of mediation and arbitration programs in the New Jersey Court System. Tom is a former President of the New Jersey SPIDR chapter.

Join ACR’s Greater New York Chapter (ACRGNY) for the rescheduled ACRGNY Book Discussion/Potluck on Tuesday, December 13.

This event will be held in Room 531 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 899 Tenth Avenue (58th Street) from 6:30–9:00 p.m. Price of admission? Food to share! 

Ken Feinberg, the Special Master for the 9/11 Victims Fund, gave a riveting talk at the Mediation Settlement Day Kick Off event last month. Now join a discussion on his book, What is Life Worth, which describes his extraordinary experience during the two years he served in this role. Get it! Read it! Join us to discuss it! Please contact Julie Denny (JuliaDenny at aol.com) if you plan to come.

Save the Date: DC ACR’s Holiday Party will take place on December 14.

The fun starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Sumner School!  For more details, keep an eye on DC–ACR’s website: http://www.mediate.com/dcacr/.

9. Message from our Sponsors: Mediate.com

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