ACR Update, October 2008
Published by the Association for Conflict Resolution
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 past issues online, go to: http://www.acrnet.org/publications/acrupdate.htm

OVERVIEW OF ARTICLES
 October 2008

  • Conflict Resolution Day Is October 16th!

  • ACR News

  • ACR's 8th Annual Conference Report

  • ACR Online Auction

  • Section News

  • Chapter News

  • Donate to ACR

  • Upcoming Event

    •

    Conflict Resolution Day Is October 16th!

     

    Conflict Resolution Day Teleconferences Scheduled on October 16  

     

    The Association for Conflict Resolution, in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace and George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, is hosting two national teleconferences on Conflict Resolution Day, October 16:

    • A teleconference geared to practitioners will be held from 5-6:15 p.m. EDT and will focus on “Conflict Resolution, Democracy, and Policymaking: Lessons and Challenges.” Members of the panel will include: Sharon Press, Nabil Al-Tikriti, Wendy Greene, Bernie Mayer, and Lisa Schirch. The call-in number for the teleconference is 1-518-825-1400. The access code for participants is 54568. Click here for further information.

    • A second teleconference geared to undergraduate and graduate students will be held from 2-3:15 p.m. EDT and is titled “Working for Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding: How Can I Make a Better World?” Members of the panel will include: Sharon Press, Cheryl L. Jamison, Esq., Mara Schoeny, David J. Smith, and Bill Warters. The call-in number for the teleconference is 1-518-825-1400. The access code for participants is 54568. Students can send an instant message (IM) with their questions during the call. Go to bottom of the page at http://snipurl.com/crday to do so. For further information, click here.

    To view additional national and international Conflict Resolution Day events, click here.

     

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    ACR News

    ACR’s New Board of Directors Installed

     

    The 2008-2009 Board of Directors was installed at ACR’s 8th Annual Conference on Saturday, September 27. The new Board consists of:

     

    Executive Committee:

    Jim Rosenstein - President

    Michael John Aloi - President-Elect

    Marilyn McKnight - Immediate Past President

    Fernaundra Ferguson - Vice President

    Perri Mayes - Treasurer

    Cindy Cook - Secretary

     

    Directors:

    Rachel Barbour  (At-large member)

    Carol Berz  (At-large member)

    Rita Callahan  (At-large member)

    Jeffrey Cohen  (At-large member)

    Cristina Franco  (At-large member)

    Nancy Gardner  (At-large member)

    Lou Gieszl  (Chapter director)

    Marya Kolman  (Sections director)

    Crevon Tarrance  (At-large member)

    Paula Trout  (At-large member)

     

    ACR’s Board of Directors Approves New Strategic Plan

     

    At its September meeting in Austin, TX, the ACR Board of Directors approved a new Strategic Plan for the association. The plan is based on input from members received during listening sessions held during the summer, feedback received from a recent membership survey, and response to an organizational assessment conducted by an outside consulting firm. The following is taken from the new Strategic Plan. The full plan can be reviewed by logging into ACR’s Member Center portal at https://bridge.acrnet.org/.

     

    ACR’s Vision Statement:

    All people know their choices for conflict resolution.

     

    ACR’s Mission Statement:

    ACR gives voice to the choices for quality conflict resolution.

     

    Who We Are:

    ACR embraces and acknowledges the full spectrum of peaceful conflict resolution and recognizes the value of cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural connections to enhance conflict resolution choices universally.

     

    Goals:

     

    1.  Providing leadership in the conflict resolution field such as: advocacy,       

    standards/credentials, media, certification

    • Create model standards for mediator certification programs

    • Explore creation of model standards of conduct for conflict resolution practitioners

    • Develop for family mediators a certification program that is valid, reliable, meaningful, performance based and inclusive of all styles.

    2.  Raising Awareness of choices in conflict resolution

    • Promoting the importance of conflict resolution services to the public, initially targeting one or more segments of the public through: 1) a completed, adopted, approved plan to accomplish this result; 2) obtaining the funding to implement the plan within the defined market; and 3) implementation of the plan in 3 years.

    • Educate and collaborate with corporations, government agencies and other entities to foster the use and accessibility of ADR processes for all in need.

    3.  Serving the conflict resolution field

    • Creating online resources to be a leading 21st century organization that offers online educational products and programs.

    • Collaborating with Sections and Chapters to expand and enhance programs.

    • Achieve the highest level of Multicultural Organizational Development (MCOD) by implementing the recommendations of the Diversity consultant.

    New Application Forms for ACR Professional Liability Insurance

     

    In response to the requests from members to simplify paperwork, ACR has posted revised versions of the application forms to sign up with our new professional liability insurance service provider. The revised forms should be easier to understand and complete. Last month, ACR announced the change in service providers after developing a policy which broadens the coverage available to arbitrators and mediators while still maintaining competitive pricing. The administrator of the program is Pinkham Agency, Inc., an over-50 year old business, which will coordinate the underwriting, claims assistance, and responses to all questions about the new program.

     

    Pinkham Agency’s representative for ACR members, Marc Berg, explains “Pinkham Agency Inc. was proud to be a sponsor of the Association of Conflict Resolution’s 8th Annual Conference. We appreciate the great reception that we received. We look forward to working with all of the members and are dedicated to giving superior coverage with helpful friendly service all for a coverage that was designed specifically for your industry at a competitive premium.” A comparison chart will be posted at http://www.acrnet.org/membership/insurance.htm for a clear explanation of the differences and advantages of the new professional liability insurance coverage being offered.

     

    Members are free to maintain insurance coverage through the former service provider, but with the change to this new policy, ACR members are offered a policy with better coverage at what will often be a lower rate. For more information, contact Marc Berg directly at (877) 402-7945 or by e-mail at Info@pinkhamagency.com.

     

    Formation of Housing Foreclosure Mediation Working Group

     

    In response to the growing home mortgage foreclosure crisis, ACR past president Marilyn McKnight is heading up an informal group of practitioners to examine the use of ADR in preventing foreclosures. If you have experience in this area working with consumers, lenders, housing agencies or non-profits, please join this group by contacting marilynmcknight@ericksonmediation.com

     

     

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    ACR's 8th Annual Conference Report

     

                    

    Thank you to the presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, attendees and others who helped make ACR’s 8th Annual Conference, “Aspirations, Possibilities and Realities: Expanding Principles, Practice, and Research in a Changing World,” a great success. Attendees participated in more than100 workshops, meetings, receptions, plenaries, facilitated discussions and other events. Early arrivers enjoyed pre-conference institutes, International Day, and the Advanced Commercial Mediation Institute.


    At the annual membership breakfast, Marilyn McKnight thanked members of the Board of Directors whose terms were coming to an end: Clarence Cramer, Ray Lanier, Angelia Tolbert and Leah Wing. Newly elected board members Rachel Barbour, Jeffrey Cohen, Cristina Franco, Marya Kolman, and Perri Mayes also were honored. At the Presidential Luncheon, Marilyn McKnight officially passed the ACR President position to incoming president James Rosenstein. 

     

    ACR would like to thank the Conference Planning Committee Tri-Chairs Rachel Barbour, Art Benson, and Jetta Todaro, as well as the Program Committee Members: Cristina Franco, Tajae Gaynor, Vicki Knudsen, Ray Lanier, Perri Mayes, Marilyn S. McKnight, Josefina Rendon, Matt Thompson, and John Windmueller.

     

    ACR’s Awards Winners

    ACR awards were presented at the conference, including two new awards: The Sharon M. Pickett Award and the Marvin E. Johnson Diversity and Equity Award.

     

    Congratulations to the following winners:

     

     

    Thank you to the ACR 8th Annual Conference Sponsors:

    Gold Sponsors: Columbia University, Pinkham Agency, Inc., Southern Methodist University

    Silver Sponsors: Antioch University McGregor, Mediation Media, and NOVA Southeastern University

     

    A full 2008 conference report will appear in the fall issue of ACResolution magazine. A photo gallery of the conference is available for viewing at: http://acrnet.org/conferences/ac08/photo_gallery.htm

     

    ACR’s 9th Annual Conference will be held October 7-10, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. We look forward to seeing you there!

     

                   

     

    Left: Former Congressman Lee H. Hamilton, president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington and director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University, is presented with ACR's Peacemaker Award by ACR immediate past-president Marilyn McKnight.

     

    Right: A happy moment with ACR immediate past-president Marilyn McKnight is shared with the conference planning committee tri-chairs. From left to right: Rachel Barbour, Marilyn McKnight, Art Benson, and Jetta Todaro.

     

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    ACR Online Auction

     

    Check Out the ACR Online Auction!

     

    The ACR online auction is in full swing. See the unique and exciting items at www.acr.cmarket.com. Check in often as new items are continually added.

     

    Be sure to place your bids and tell your friends. The first group of items closes tomorrow, Thursday, October 9, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

     

    Proceeds from the online auction support ACR scholarships and special projects.

     

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    Section News

     Commercial Section

     

    The Commercial Section presents a complimentary educational teleseminar with featured speaker Mel Rubin, who has more than 20 years of ADR experience and has taught mediation to over 6,000 professionals.

     

    Mediation Moments of Terror: Ethics and Malpractice Challenges that Mediators May Face as the ADR Landscape changes

     

    NEW DATE: October 16, 2008

    12:00 Noon EDT

         

    Bridgeline: 1-712-432-7302

    Pin # 73984 (Mute #6)

     

    Moderators:

    Jerome Allan Landau, J.D., Dispute Solutions LLC

    Kurt Dettman, Constructive Dispute Resolutions

     

    The Topic: In today’s world of ADR, commercial mediators are dealing with increasingly complex, multi-party, multi-jurisdictional disputes. With that complexity comes more challenges that mediators must face, including ethical dilemmas, process choices, and even the dreaded malpractice claim.

     

    Consider these examples:

    • Your pre-mediation session preparation requires as much confidentiality protection as your actual session! How are you protecting it and yourself?

    • You are a certified mediator in California and perform your services in Chicago with parties and attorneys from all over – whose ethics applies?

    • When does mediator confidentiality begin and end – are you sure?

    • When does a mediation become so long that it may constitute coercion?

    • When does giving information become giving advice?

    • When does mediator advice become legal advice that may allow an action for legal malpractice and not mediator malpractice?

    • Does drafting a settlement agreement constitute the practice of law allowing the mediator lawyer to be sued for legal malpractice?

    • What kind of insurance should you have?

    • Your mediation goes bad and a mediator malpractice claim is brought — what do you do?

    In this one-hour teleconference Mel Rubin, one of the country’s premier experts on mediation ethics and malpractice, will give practical advice on how to deal with these challenges. This is a must-listen session for your mediator play book and peaceful survival!

     

     

    Environment and Public Policy Section

     

    The Environment and Public Policy Section will hold its mid-year conference in Denver, June 11 to 13, 2009.  The conference will focus on climate change. For more information, please contact Tamara d’Estree (tdestree@du.edu), Michael Elliott (michael.elliott@coa.gatech.edu), or Cindy Cook (ccook@adamantaccord.com).

     

     

     Family Section

     

    The Family Section has started a new series of monthly teleseminars, the first of which was a two-part discussion of Glenn Dornfeld’s 13 Pet Peeves in a Mediated MOU. The follow up teleseminar will be on November 5 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EDT. Instructions for the teleseminar are available to Section members who login on the Section website:
    www.acrfamilysection.org. For questions about login information, contact russell@gerrardmediation.com.

    The Family Section is also excited to work with the ACR Certification Task Force to implement a mediator certification built on the framework of the Advanced Practitioner program.

    The Family Section Advisory Council (FSAC) congratulates Evan Ash, Richard Shields, Mary Ann Lawson, and Stephen Erickson on being elected to serve in Section leadership. Evan is the Chair of the new Programming Committee. Richard is the Co-Chair of the Membership Committee. Mary Ann was elected as the Secretary. Stephen was elected as the Chair-Elect of the FSAC.

    We encourage Section members to review the descriptions of Section committees on our website: www.acrfamilysection.org. To join a committee, please contact the chair of the committee in which you are interested.

     

     

     Workplace Section

     

    A Workplace Section Teleseminar, “Building Conflict Competent Teams,” with Craig Runde and Tim Flannagan will be held on Wednesday, October 15. Craig Runde and Tim A. Flanagan will lead a teleseminar to explore how teams can deal more effectively with conflict in order to maximize creativity and improve decision-making. Their new book is titled Building Conflict Competent Teams.  For more information contact: jill@moscowitzmediation.com

     

    New ACR Workplace Advanced Practitioner Workplace Mediation Announced.  The ACR Workplace Section’s Advanced Practitioner Workplace Mediation Review Committee is pleased to announce that Sally Griffith Cimini, Esq. of Pittsburgh, PA has met the requirements of the Workplace Mediator Advanced Practitioner Designation, 

     

    ACR Workplace Advanced Practitioners.  Have you considered becoming an Advanced Practitioner (AP)?  To learn more about requirements and benefits of Mediator AP status, follow this link: http://www.acrnet.org/referrals/ap-workplace.htm. Follow this link to learn more about Arbitrator AP status: http://www.acrnet.org/referrals/ap-workplace_arb.htm

     

    New AP Review Committee Member.  The Workplace Section would like to thank Ericka B. Gray for her years of dedicated service on the AP Mediator Review Committee. She will step down this year, and we are pleased to welcome Debra Dupree as the new committee member. 

     

    New Section Leaders

    Julie Denny will assume the position of Workplace Section Tri-Chair Elect. Sheri Callahan will assume the position of Workplace Section Secretary.

     

    2008-2009 Committee Leaders:

    Susan Green, Debra Dupree, Sara Adler, William Lowe, John Settle, Debra Dupree - AP Review Committee

    Linda Goodman - Newsletter Co-Editor

    Anne Martin, Neil Bodine - Interest Based Negotiation

    Cinnie Noble - Conflict Coaching Committee 

    Melissa Marosy - REDRESS Committee Coordinator

    Robert Rice - AP Arbitrator Moderator

    Ron Shane and Pattie Porter - AP Mediator Outreach Project

    Maggie Sloane - Teleseminar Series 

    Lydia Espinosa-Crafton - ACR Diversity & Equity 

    Rita Callahan - Membership Committee of ACR

    Nancy Peace - NAA 2009 Fall Meeting Invitation 

    Sara Adler - Workplace Section Alert

     

    Save the Date: Workplace Section Pre-Conference 2009 Institute

    The Workplace Section will be offering a Pre-Conference Institute before the 9th Annual ACR Conference in Atlanta. Details are forthcoming. 

     

    Workplace Section Institute for 2009 Section Conference Planning Committee: Robert Churilla - Program Chairperson.  Dick Fincher, Sherri Callahan, Sarah Mae Fisher, Rita Callahan, Nicky Davenport, Michael Dickstein, Rocco Scanza (Cornell) -  Committee Members.

     

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    Chapter News

     Hawaii Chapter

    • ACR Hawaii is introducing an exciting new venue, a book club. The first session is featuring John Barkai, author of Culture, Conflict and Mediation in the Asian Pacific, Revised Edition. The event is being held at the Mediation Center of the Pacific, Inc. on October 3, 2008.

    • ACR Hawaii will be celebrating Conflict Resolution Day on October 16, 2008 with the reading of proclamations and speeches highlighting various applications of conflict resolution and the contributions that conflict resolution makes to Hawaii and broader communities. The event is to be held in the Supreme Court Conference room in Honolulu.

    For more information on these events, contact acrhawaii@yahoo.com or call 808-393-0687.

     

     

     Minnesota Chapter

     

    Conflict Resolution Day Events

     

    Event 1:

    Conflict Resolution Minnesota (CRM), a chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution
    (www.conflictresolutionmn.org) welcomes Trainers Brenda Adams and Linda Hendrikson for “Empathic Listening – A Course for Conflict Resolution Professionals” on Thursday, October 16, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Hamline University School of Law, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.
     

    To register, contact:

    9220 Bass Lake Road, Suite 270, New Hope, MN 55428
    Phone: 612-573-5331 / Fax: 763-561-0266
    www.conflictresolutionmn.org
    CRM@visi.com

    Develop empathic listening skills and stimulate clear communication. Come to a workshop based on the teaching of Marshall Rosenberg, author of Nonviolent Communication. Dr. Rosenberg developed a practice and philosophy referred to as Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to help people learn ways to connect without using threats, judgment, guilt, blame or shame. The NVC empathy process teaches a way of listening to hear universal human needs
    in all communication. Practicing this process improves mediator skills and impacts all communication – including with family and friends and within organizations and
    workplaces.
     

    Course Objectives:
    To gain a basic understanding of NVC concepts.
    To practice the four components of NVC:
    • Making observations without judgment, evaluation or diagnosis
    • Naming feelings as they arise
    • Connecting to universal needs in yourself and others
    • Making requests and engaging with the responses
     

    Course Leaders:
    Brenda Adams practices transformative mediation, coaches individuals and leads
    group courses. She enjoys teaching Compassionate (Nonviolent) Communication, a
    language for communicating empathically and a philosophy for meeting universal
    needs. Brenda mediates on the United States Postal Service REDRESS roster,
    volunteers with Community Mediation Services and is a member of the University of
    North Dakota (UND) Conflict Resolution Center.


    Linda Hendrikson provides a wide range of conflict management and educational
    services as a mediator, group facilitator, trainer, and consultant at the UND Conflict
    Resolution Center. As an associate member of the Institute for the Study of Conflict
    Transformation (ISCT), she participates in projects to further the study and teaching
    of Transformative Mediation, including co-authoring two chapters in Designing
    Mediation    . She has a M.A. in Counseling and a B.S. in Psychology from UND.


    Event 2:
    Free Presentation and Reception on Thursday, October 16, 2008 from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Hamline University School of Law, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.
     

    Ken Fox, J.D., Keynote Speaker
     

    “Peace-building in the Middle East: A Case Study of the Hamline University Civic Education Projects”

    Since 2001, Hamline University faculty have been working with Israeli, Palestinian, and more recently Jordanian and Lebanese, educators to strengthen civil society and the foundation for constructive co-existence in the Middle East. Ken Fox, one of the projects’ leaders will de-scribe the various projects and reflect on what conflict professionals have contributed to, and can learn from, this work. A question-and-answer session will follow, with refreshments served afterward. 1.5 hours for Elimination of Bias CLEs and Rule 114 CEUs applied for.
     

    Ken Fox is director of graduate and undergraduate conflict studies and an Associate Professor in the School of Business at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is also a Senior Fellow of Hamline University School of Law’s Dispute Resolution Institute and an Associate of the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, a non-profit affiliate of Hofstra School of Law, James Madison University, Temple University and the University of North Dakota. He is a U.S. State Department Fulbright Senior Specialist grantee in law/peace and conflict resolution studies, where he taught conflict resolution theory and practice at the Riga Graduate School of Law in Latvia. Since 2001, Ken has been an active part of multiple on-going civic education and conflict transformation initiatives with Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Lebanese educators and civic leaders. Funded by the U.S. Department of State, private foundations and supported by the European Union, these initiatives focus on educating the next generation of Middle East citizens for a future where social stability and co-existence are possible.

    This event is sponsored by Conflict Resolution Minnesota (CRM), Hamline University School of Law Dispute Resolution Institute, ADR Student Chapter and Hamline University Conflict Studies Program. It is given as a part of International Conflict Resolution Day events held in Minnesota and around the world to celebrate, educate and commemorate.
    For more information, call (651) 523-2780.
     

     

    South Carolina Chapter 

     

    Here comes “Conflict Resolution Day” in South Carolina! The newest chapter of ACR is working hard to reach out to share and celebrate the message of ADR. October 16th will include a variety of activities from reach-out phone calls by the board of directors, lunch meetings in the coastal and mountain regions and a collaborative breakfast in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. ACR-SC has partnered with the Columbia Community Mediation Center and will be sponsoring a community breakfast to thank our supporters and enhance public awareness. The Governor of SC, Mark Sanford, will also honor ACR-SC by presenting a 2008 proclamation for “Conflict Resolution Day.”

     

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    Donate Now! You can make donations to ACR's Annual Fund Campaign online. Click here to learn how you can make an important investment in ACR's future.

     

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    Upcoming Event

    ACR has endorsed the conference “International ADR India” to be held December 9-11 2008 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Mumbai, India.

     

    The conference has been produced based on extensive research with Indian Counsel and international legal firms and tackles some of the key challenges and hurdles still restricting the development of ADR and arbitration within the Indian market.

     

    The conference will bring together around 150-200 senior executives from India and overseas, drawn from large Indian and international corporations, domestic and international legal firms, and Indian advocates and judges, to discuss ADR in India and identify solutions for increasing its role in the Indian market.

      

    The following associations and speakers have been confirmed:

     

    International:

    Singapore International Arbitration Centre

    American Arbitration Association - ICDR

    APRAG

     

    Indian:

    Society of Indian Law Firms

    Bar Association of India

    International Chamber of Commerce

     

    Speakers:

    • Dr. E.M.Sudarsana Natchiappan, MP, Chairman, Parliamentary standing committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice, Parliament of India

    • Dushyant Dave, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India

    • Ajay Thomas, Head of India, Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)

    • Rafique Dada, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India

    • Jun Bautista, Director, International Centre for Dispute Resolution, AAA-ICDR

    • Lalit Bhasin, President, Society of Indian Law Firm (SILF)

    • Mysore Prasanna, Group Executive President & General Counsel, Aditya Birla Group

    • Mukesh Bhavnani, Group President Legal, Essar Group

    • Sumant Nayak, Vice-President Legal, Delhi International Airport

    • N. R. Narayanan, Executive Director, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd

    • Matthew Gearing, Chairman, Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG), LCIA

    • Hiroo Advani, Chairman – ADR Committee, SILF

    • Christopher Lau, Senior Counsel, Alban Tay Mahtani & de Silva LLP

    • Christopher To, Secretary General, APRAG

    • Marezban P. Bharucha, Founding Partner, Bharucha & Co

    • Madhavi Divan, Advocate, Little & Co

    • Rohit Kapadia, President, Bombay Bar Association

    For more information, contact ewa.bakun@infor-media.org

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