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
May 4, 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. Message from our Sponsor: Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

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.

2006 Annual Conference

Sponsorship Opportunities Available for ACR’s Sixth Annual Conference!

There are many terrific opportunities for advertising, sponsoring and exhibiting at ACR’s Sixth Annual Conference (October 25–28, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Benefits of buying an ad, a sponsorship or an exhibit table include:

•High visibility to thousands of practitioners and businesses if you advertise in one of our three Annual Conferene publications, beginning with the Pre-Conference Brochure mailed to  25,000 readers in early summer;

•The opportunity as an exhibitor to make hundreds of new contacts with potential business or strategic partners;

•Branding of your company name as a sponsoring organization, with banners, advertisements and even major Annual Conference events bearing your logo.

If you have sponsored at previous ACR Annual Conferences or have marketed your business, school or organization with ads or exhibit tables, watch your mail this month! 

If you have not yet participated in one of our Annual Conferences, please join ACR in Philadelphia on October 25-28, and promote your company or school to hundreds of leaders in the field!  Email agallivan@ACRnet.org  right away and have the 2006 Sponsorship Brochure sent by post or email.

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.

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.

Support ACR While You Shop! Start your shopping at iGive.com, where you can choose from hundreds of stores and every purchase helps ACR. Your online shopping will earn up to 26% of the purchase price for your designated cause. Join iGive.com for free and make your first purchase within 45 days of joining, and you’ll earn an additional $5 for your cause.

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.

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! 

Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

Pepperdine University School of Law

19th Annual Professional Skills Program in Dispute Resolution

June 22-24, 2006

Malibu, California.

Participants engage in three days of intensive skills instruction and practice in one focused area.  Each program includes lectures, small group discussions and practice exercises.  Choose from the following twelve workshops: 

• Advanced Mediation:  Skills and Techniques
• “STAR” A Systematic Approach to Mediation Strategies
• Mediating Complex Construction Disputes
• Specialized Mediation:  Handling Challenging Employment, Medical Malpractice and PI Cases
• The Protean Mediator as Leader:  Advanced Problem Solving Theory and Design
• Advanced Family Mediation Skills
• Mediating the Complex Case:  An Emphasis on Process Design, Party Management and Insurance Coverage
• Strategic Negotiation Skills
• Designing Dispute Resolution Systems in the Workplace
• Arbitrating the Complex Case
• Mindfulness for Dispute Resolvers:  Awareness Skills for Lawyers, Negotiators, Mediators, and Managers         
• Managing Business Conflict:  State-of-the-Art Strategies for In-House and Outside Counsel

For more information contact Lori Rushford at (310) 506-6342 or go to http://www.law.pepperdine.edu/straus

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