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

Printer-friendly version

OVERVIEW OF ARTICLES
May 3, 2006

1. John M. Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award: Call for Nominations
2. 2006 Annual Conference: Information for Advertisers, Sponsors and Attendees
3. ACR's CareerCenter Offers Resources for Job Seekers and Employers
4. Upcoming Section Conferences: Spirituality, Environment and Public Policy and Family
5. Special Membership Offer
6. Take Advantage of Upcoming ACR Section Teleseminars
7. Chapters News: ACR Chicago Chapter's Annual Meeting and Election
8. Quotations
9. Messages from our Sponsors:

ACR solicits nominations for the John M. Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award, to be presented at its Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 25–28, 2006. Nominations should be submitted via email by July 14, 2006 to the contact listed below.

Please include a statement, testimonial or curriculum vitae for the nominated individual.

The John M. Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award is presented annually by the Association for Conflict Resolution to a prominent and internationally recognized leader in mediation who demonstrates personal and professional commitment to finding mediation solutions to conflict while balancing therapeutic and legal perspectives. John Haynes was a pioneer in the field of family mediation, a respected author and practitioner, an international trainer, and the first president of the Academy of Family Mediators. In keeping with his legacy, the candidate should demonstrate innovation, creativity and outstanding competence in published writings, training and practice, maintain personal and professional integrity and respect for others, and embrace a sense of humor and humility about our standing as fallible beings. ACR members are invited to nominate candidates for this award. Send nominations to the Haynes Award Committee Chair, Nina Meierding (meierding@sbcglobal.net ) by July 14, 2006.

Advertisers and Sponsors: Reserve your space at the Annual Conference early!

A heads-up for advertisers and sponsors of the 2006 Annual Conference—May 15 is the deadline for placing ads in the Pre-Conference Brochure, mailed in early summer to a targeted audience of 25,000 practitioners, educators and businesses.  Advertising early gives your school or business the widest exposure!  Ad prices start as low as $525. Email ad copy in high resolution PDF (minimum 300dpi) to agallivan@ACRnet.org by May 15.

The deadline for exhibitors, event sponsorships and advertising in on-site Annual Conference publications is September 1, but you can guarantee your choice of sponsorships and exhibit space by signing on early!  For more information or a copy of the Partnership and Marketing Opportunities brochure, please contact Anne Gallivan at 202-464-9700 ext. 224 or at agallivan@ACRnet.org.

Annual Conference Registration to Open in Late May

ACR’s Sixth Annual Conference

October 25-28, 2006

Philadelphia, PA

Be sure to join us in Philly this fall for an exciting three days of informative sessions, meetings and networking opportunities! Registration will be open by the end of May, so keep checking the Annual Conference website for the most up-to-date information. As an added bonus, ACR members save up to $80 on Annual Conference registration fees!

The Annual Conference will be held at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center at 17th and Race Streets. To reserve your room at the Annual Conference rate of $155/night, call the Sheraton at 215-448-2000 and mention the “Association for Conflict Resolution.”

“Philadelphia Here We Come” Part 5:

A Sampling of Original Philadelphia Specialties

by James A. Rosenstein 

When most people think about Philadelphia, what comes to mind are Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and Philly cheese steaks and soft pretzels. This article will touch on these and several other uniquely Philadelphian icons that warrant close attention by visitors to the City of Brotherly Love.

Let’s start with the best known.  Clustered within a one square mile area, officially designated as Independence National Historic Park, are located the buildings in which so much of our nation’s early political history occurred that the neighborhood has come to be known as the “Cradle of Democracy.”  These include Independence Hall, the Betsy Ross House, Carpenters’ Hall, Congress Hall, Old City Hall, the Second Bank of the United States, City Tavern, Christ Church and Burial Ground, and Franklin Court with the B. Free Franklin Post Office.  Here, too, is the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center and the Independence Visitor Center.  This complex can be enjoyed on a self-guided walking tour or on one of several guided tours (tickets available at the Independence Visitor Center) and is located approximately one mile from the Annual Conference hotel.

You can’t possibly leave Philadelphia without having sampled our cheese steaks and soft pretzels.  Although many traditionalists will insist on buying their steaks from one of the purveyors in the old Italian neighborhood, South Philly, you can enjoy them from some of these same families at the Reading Terminal Market, an easy walk (less than one-half mile) from the conference venue.  Soft pretzels must be eaten fresh (any over a day old will destroy your teeth) and traditionally are served garnished with mustard.  They are available from almost any street vendor and several factory outlets (including one in the 1500 block of Sansom Street).  Also, when you are visiting the Reading Terminal Market, you’ll be able to see them made by hand in the Pennsylvania Dutch style. 

To read about Tastykaes, hoagies and other gastronomic delights, along with Philadelphia’s music scene, click here

• 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...

Is it time for a change?

Are you looking for a new job?  Or are you an employer looking for qualified employees?  Then look no further!  The *new* ACR CareerCenter  is up and running.  Sign up now to take advantage of this full-service resource designed just for members of the conflict resolution field.

Go to the ACR CareerCenter today to start searching!

Spirituality Section Mid-Year Meeting in San Francisco, CA, May 5, 2006

Plan to attend the Third Annual Spirituality Section Mid-Year Meeting, co-sponsored by ACR’s Spirituality Section and the Association of Dispute Resolution of Northern California, ACR’s Northern California Chapter. This exciting event will feature Gary Friedman, Center for Mediation in Law as keynote speaker and Barbara Ashley Phillips, North American Institute for Conflict Resolution. For more information, including how to register, visit the Spirituality Section website.

ACR Environment and Public Policy Section Midyear Conference June 28–30, 2006

The Environment and Public Policy (EPP) Section is gearing up for an enlightening and enjoyable three-day conference at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 28 - 30, 2006. Chaired by Professor Lawrence Susskind, Director of the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program, and Harry Manasewich, President of Human Factor Dispute Resolutions, “Deliberative Democracy: New Directions in Public Policy Dispute Resolution” will offer participants the opportunity to network with each other while learning from top theorists and practitioners in Public Policy Dispute Resolution and Deliberative Democracy (broadly defined as democratic civic engagement).

Keynote addresses and workshops will focus on the intersection of theory and practice in resolving public disputes, the role of ADR practitioners in resolving intractable public policy disputes around social and moral issues such as abortion and race issues in rebuilding the Gulf Coast. The conference will also look at public dispute resolution as a business, leveraging data gathered from surveys of the top dispute resolution individuals and firms, and include a panel of professionals who work to resolve conflicts outside the United States.

For more information, please contact Anne Mansfield, 802-831-1338, or visit the EPP Section website

ACR Family Section Conference, July 13 - 16, 2006 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The ACR Family Section Conference, “Making Waves – Breaking Barriers,” will be held July 13 - 16, 2006 at the Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort and Conference Center. The conference site is in beautiful Old Silver Beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, scene of the AFM conference in 1997.  A limited number of rooms have been set aside until June 13 for conference participants at the rate of $190 for Thursday night and $220 for Friday and Saturday nights, plus tax.  For reservations, call 800-225-3110 before June 13, 2006, and request the group rate for “Association for Conflict Resolution.” For information and directions to the resort, please visit www.seacrest-resort.com.  Registration is now open. The pre-conference brochure and registration form may be downloaded from the ACR website at: http://ACRnet.org/sections/family_section_conference_2006.htm.

The conference will feature (1) three pre-conference workshops on Thursday afternoon; (2) an opening plenary and reception Thursday evening featuring David Hall, Provost and Senior Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Northeastern University Boston and author of the best selling book The Spiritual Revitalization of the Legal Profession: A Search for Sacred Rivers; (3) 54 workshops Friday morning through Sunday morning focusing on every aspect of family mediation; and (4) a closing brunch and plenary featuring highly experienced mediators, each with a different style of mediation, working with very high conflict couples. Download the pre-conference brochure and registration form here: http://ACRnet.org/sections/family_section_conference_2006.htm.

SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP OFFER!

Log in the Online Member Center to renew your membership online now and you will automatically be entered to win TWO FREE MONTHS OF MEMBERSHIP! Make your dues go farther! Renewing online saves ACR resources! One Drawing Every Month!

Congratulations to last month’s winner, Beth Danehy of Rochester, NY.

May 2006 Section Teleseminars: Crisis Intervention and Workplace/ODR Sections

Crisis Intervention Section Teleseminar Wednesday, May 10, 1-2 p.m. EDT

On Wednesday, May 10, from 1–2 p.m. EDT, ACR’s Crisis Intervention Section will host a teleseminar featuring FBI Special Supervisory Agent Greg Vecchi. Mr. Vecchi will talk about the use of specific communication skills to overcome the emotional reaction experienced by those who are in conflict in order to pave the way for collaborative problem-solving. These techniques are applicable to mediators, arbitrators, judges, lawyers, police officers, rescue personnel, mental health professionals, negotiators and conflict management professionals.  For more information, please go to: http://www.mediate.com/acrcrisisnegotiation/index.cfm.

To participate, please send an email to Crisisintervention510teleseminar@ACRnet.org. You will receive an auto reply email with the confirmation details in the body of the email. If you do not receive your confirmation, please contact Anne-Marie Burton, ACR Sections Manager at aburton at ACRnet.org.
 

Workplace and Online Dispute Resolution Sections Co-Sponsor an Online

Brainstorming and Mediation Demonstration Call

May 25, 2006, noon EDT; note: the registration deadline is May 10, 2006

Experience how electronic dispute resolution tools can be effectively integrated into the mediation process. This Workplace/ODR teleconference adds an online experience to the earlier February 17 teleconference co-hosted by the Workplace and ODR sections. It is not necessary to have participated in the February 17 session to participate in this online demonstration call.

After registering by May 10 and accessing two ODR applications, join Dan Rainey online on May 25 to work together with the results and see how the online dispute resolution tools can be used in the Workplace. Daniel Rainey is Director of ADR Services at the National Mediation Board in Washington, DC and is responsible for the development and integration of technology across the Board's function areas.

By May 10, participants who have given advance notice and supplied e-mail addresses will be given instructions on how to access two online ODR applications.  These applications will be used to conduct ongoing asynchronous demonstrations of online technology and how it can be used to conduct brainstorming sessions and mediation online.  The technology is available through WebEx Communications , the leader in on-demand applications for online meetings, events, training, sales, engineering, collaboration and more, with an emphasis on the spontaneity and interactivity of face-to-face meetings. During the May 25 session, participants will be given access to a synchronous online site where they will be able to see the presenter and see the summarized results of the asynchronous work done by the participants in the two weeks leading up to the May 25 session.

To participate in the discussion, send an email to integrationodrteleseminar at ACRnet.org by May 10, 2006. Confirmation and instructions will be sent after the May 10 deadline. Non-Section members may attend two Teleseminar at no charge.

June 2006 Section Teleseminars: Health Care and Spirituality Sections

Health Care Section Teleseminar Forum: June 7, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. EDT

ACR’s Health Care Section is pleased to announce the first Healthcare Teleseminar Forum featuring leaders in the field. The first in a series of teleseminars will be held on Thursday, June 7, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. PDT.

Chris Stern Hyman, founder of the Medical Mediation Group LLC, New York will discuss a pilot program for mediating malpractice lawsuits filed against health care facilities operated by the City of New York. Following Ms. Hyman’s presentation, there will open dialogue with participants. More information will be posted on the ACR Health Care Section’s website in early May. 

To participate, please send an email to healthcare06teleseminar@ACRnet.org. You will receive an auto reply email with the confirmation details in the body of the email. If you do not receive your confirmation, please contact Anne-Marie Burton, ACR Sections Manager at aburton at ACRnet.org.

Spirituality Section Teleseminar: June 19, 2006

RESCHEDULED! Kenneth Cloke: “Why Every Conflict Breaks Your Heart: Conflict as a Spiritual Crisis” on June 19, 2006, 3:00 p.m. EDT.

To participate, please send an email to Conflict@ACRnet.org. You will receive an auto reply email with the confirmation details in the body of the email. If you do not receive your confirmation, please contact Anne-Marie Burton, ACR Sections Manager at aburton at ACRnet.org.

 

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.

ACR CHICAGO CHAPTER’S ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTIONS

On Thursday, May 18, 2006, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., ACR Chicago looks forward to an exciting presentation by Daniel Shapiro of Harvard's Negotiation Project and recent author of “Beyond Reason,” a book about the role of emotions in negotiation.  There will be a wine and cheese reception as people arrive and annual elections at 6:00 p.m..  Mr. Shapiro will stay and sign books after the presentation from 7:30-8:00 p.m.. 

This event will be held at Northwestern Law School, 357 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago.  Many thanks to Northwestern University for generously sponsoring this program!   

9. Message from our Sponsor: Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

SPECIAL ONLINE OFFER!

Log in to the Online Member Center and renew your membership online and you will automatically be entered to win

TWO FREE MONTHS OF MEMBERSHIP!

Make your dues go farther!
Renewing online saves ACR resources!

One Drawing Every Month!

THIS AD COULD BE YOURS!
Reach 6,300+ conflict resolution enthusiasts with your advertising message. A 10-line, 100-word, text ad costs just $150! For more information, contact ACR at ACR at ACRnet.org.