ACR Update, February 1, 2006
Published by the Association for Conflict Resolution,
a merged organization of AFM, CREnet and SPIDR
http://www.ACRnet.org

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
February 1, 2006

1. 2006 Annual Conference: Accepting Spanish-language proposals only, until February 17!

2. 2006 Annual Conference: Philadelphia Offers Lots for Everyone!

3. ACR CareerCenter: Find Your Career Match!

4. ACR Requests Member Input on Revised Uniform Arbitration Act by February 15!

5. Call for Article Proposals: Summer 2006 ACResolution magazine

6. Section Teleconferences: Spirituality Section and Workplace and ODR Sections

7. Section News: Environment and Public Policy and Family Sections

8. Chapter News: Northern California Chapter Conference April 22, 2006

9. Quotations

10. Message from our Sponsor: Mediate.com, Amtrak and BMC Associates

CONFERENCIA ANUAL de ACR 2006: Estamos aceptando ahora propuestas para presentación de talleres en Español solamente hasta el 17 de febrero a las 5:30 P.M. EST.

Las propuestas en Español deben presentarse a través del Internet para ser evaluadas para su presentación en la Conferencia Anual de ACR, que se celebrará del 25 al 28 de octubre de 2006 en Philadelphia, PA, los E.E.U.U. (El período para la sumisión del resto de las ofertas está cerrado).

Accepting Spanish-language proposals only, until February 17 at 5:30 p.m. EST

Proposals in Spanish may be submitted online for consideration for presentation at ACR’s 2006 Annual Conference, to be held October 25-28, 2006

2. 2006 Annual Conference: Philadelphia Offers a Lot for everyone !

Philadelphia – Not Just Something for Anyone, But Lots for Everyone!

Visit a Livable 21^st Century City and a History Museum in One Place (Part I)

by James A. Rosenstein

Philadelphia may well be this country’s greatest living history museum.  Virtually everywhere you walk or ride within the 3-1/2 square mile area called Center City (roughly between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers on the east and west and between Spring Garden Street and South Street on the north and south), you will encounter evidence of every significant period of life in America from the early 1700s to today.

When most people think of history and Philadelphia, it is usually about the last thirty years of the Eighteenth Century—the meeting of the first Continental Congress, the writing of the Declaration of Independence at the State House (now renamed Independence Hall), the drafting of the Constitution and the early years of the republic when Philadelphia was our capital. Virtually all of the historically important local buildings of this period, not to mention many beautiful Eighteenth Century homes, are located in Independence Historical Park and the surrounding Society Hill, Old City and Washington Square West neighborhoods (all of which are located between 1 and 1½ miles of the Annual Conference Hotel).

To read more, please visit the ACR website,  where you can also read the first article in this series, “Philadelphia, Here We Come.” 

 

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 CareerCenter 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!

3. ACR CareerCenter: Find Your Career Match!

It's a new year. Are you looking for a new job? A new employee?

ACR is pleased to introduce the new CareerCenter, an interactive job board and online resource for job seekers and employers in the conflict resolution field. Visit the CareerCenter today to take advantage of these online employment connections and other career-related services:

Job Seekers:	Employers:
Free resume posting	Access to quality candidates
Advanced job search options	Online reports
Increased exposure for resumes	Job activity stats
Optional new job alerts	Simple pricing options
Moving & relocation services	Special introductory pricing
Saved jobs	Featured Job availability

ACR’s Legislative and Public Policy (LPP) Committee has initiated a legislative review of the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act (RUAA), which was drafted and adopted in 2000 to update the Uniform Arbitration Act (UAA) of 1956. The RUAA is now being considered at the state level. The LPP Committee has developed a proposal regarding ACR and the RUAA, which may be viewed or downloaded on the ACR website at http://www.ACRnet.org/about/initiatives/publicpolicy/index.htm.

The LPP Committee is soliciting member input on this proposal through February 15, 2006. All ACR members are invited to contribute opinions and suggestions. Please email your comments to ACR Program Manager Jennifer Druliner at jdruliner@ACRnet.org by February 15, 2006.

Call for Article Proposals: Summer 2006 ACResolution magazine

The summer 2006 ACResolution magazine will focus on the topic of international ADR. The editors seek proposals from people who would like to write articles on any aspect of ADR processes used in countries other than the United States. They seek diversity in authors and subject matter and 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@ACRnet.org as soon as possible but no later than March 10, 2006.

An editorial advisory committee will review the proposals and choose 2 or 3 major features and 2 or 3 minor features. Authors will be notified by March 15.  If selected, completed articles will be due by May 1, 2006.

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

Spirituality Section Writers’ Teleconference: “Beginner’s Mind: Cultivating Mediator Mindfulness”

February 16, 2006, 4 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT

The Spirituality Section’s “Writers’ Teleconference Forum” continues on February 16, 2006 with a teleconference on “Beginner’s Mind: Cultivating Mediator Mindfulness,” presented by Dr. Tom Fisher. Tom Fisher is Coordinator of Graduate Programs in Conflict Resolution and Family Law Mediation at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Tom is a Zen practitioner with a Ph.D. in Chinese History. For information on how to participate, please visit http://www.mediate.com/acrspirituality/.

ACR’s Workplace and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Sections’ Teleseminar: “Integration of Online Dispute Resolution Technology into Workplace Mediation” February 17, 12:00 p.m. ET

Please join Daniel Rainey as he discusses a variety of electronic dispute resolution tools and how they can be effectively integrated into the mediation process. He will also discuss the issues of face-to-face vs. online interaction; culture; and confidentiality. This teleseminar will include a brief overview of the efforts of the National Mediation Board to integrate new technology into its mediation program.  For information on how to register, please visit http://www.mediate.com/acrworkplace/. Non-Workplace Section members may attend two Workplace Section teleseminars at no charge.

Interested in participating in a teleconference? Send an email to sections at ACRnet dot 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.

Upcoming Section Mid-Year Conferences

Environment and Public Policy (EPP) Section Mid-year Conference: June 28–30, 2006
Please save the date and spread the word!  ACR’s Environment and Public Policy Section will hold a mid-year conference June 28–30, 2006 in Boston.  As always, the conference promises to be “more fun than thought humanly possible.” Stay tuned for updates  and plan to join us in Boston!

Family Section Mid-Year Conference: July 13-16, 2006
Plan to attend ACR’s Family Section mid-year conference, “Making Waves—Breaking Barriers,” to be held on the shores of Cape Cod, July 13-16, 2006 with keynote speaker David Hall. David Hall  is the Provost and Senior Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Northeastern University Boston, and author of the best selling Search for Sacred Rivers. More information will be made available on the Family Section website. 

Call for Section volunteers!

The Environment and Public Policy (EPP) Section needs short-term volunteers to serve on a review panel for EPP-related proposals submitted for the ACR Annual Conference. The Annual Conference program committee is asking each Section to assess proposals in their area. The EPP Section seeks a group of approximately five people to assess the EPP-related proposals. The time commitment would involve about 3 hours of reading and individual rating of proposals (all proposals are online), along with a one-hour conference call to reach group agreement on ranking sessions some time in early February. Please respond to John Stephens at stephens@sog.unc.edu  if you would like to serve. 

The EPP Section Conference planning committee is looking for volunteers to help organize the upcoming EPP Section mid-year conference. If you’re interested in helping organize the conference, please contact Harry Manasewich at Hfactordr@aol.com. 

Join a Family Section Committee! The Family Section committees provide a great place for members to network, learn more about the field and even identify sources for business. Those who join also help the Family Section remain vital and helpful to its members. Please consider joining one of the Family Section’s committees. Check the Family Section website for details.

9. Quotations

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