National Conflict Resolution Week 2021
Monday, October 18 - Friday, October 22, 2021
Welcome to the 2021 virtual celebration of National Conflict Resolution Week at VCU. Historically, VCU celebrates National Conflict Resolution Day, which is a national one-day event observed annually on the third Thursday of October. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the one-day event has shifted to a virtual week-long celebration for the second year. Each day during the week-long celebration, new pre-recorded videos and resources from national experts in conflict resolution will be posted below. Our celebration culminates with a keynote address on Thursday, October 21.
About the VCU Office of the Ombudsperson
VCU's Ombudsperson provides confidential, neutral and informal dispute resolution services for VCU's faculty, staff, postdoctoral trainees and students. The office is available to assist VCU employees and students who seek guidance with the resolution of academic or administrative issues and disputes.
2021 Schedule
Monday, October 18
- Welcome and opening remarks: William. E. King, University Ombudsperson
- VCU Proclamation: Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., VCU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
- History of National Conflict Resolution Day at VCU: Gypsy Denzine, Ph.D., VCU Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
- VCU’s Commitment: Sheryl Garland, Chief of Health Impact, VCU Health System and Executive Director of VCU’s Office of Health Equity
Tuesday, October 19
- "Talking about Race with Respect" by Alicia Booker, University Ombudsperson, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Wednesday, October 20
- "When Conflict Spreads: Intervention Tips and Tools for Resolving Wider Conflicts" by Bruce MacAllister, J.D., Ombudsman, International Foundation for Online Responsibility
Thursday, October 21 (National Conflict Resolution Day observed)
- Keynote Address: "Conflict Management in an Evolving Covid Era" by C. Kevin Coonrod, J.D., Ombudsperson, Auburn University
Friday, October 22
- National Conflict Resolution Week Closing Remarks and Wrap-Up: William E. King, University Ombudsperson
Monday, October 18: Welcome and VCU's Commitment
Agenda
- Welcome and opening remarks: William. E. King, University Ombudsperson
- VCU Proclamation: Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., VCU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
- History of National Conflict Resolution Day at VCU: Gypsy Denzine, Ph.D., VCU Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
- VCU’s Commitment: Sheryl Garland, Chief of Health Impact, VCU Health System and Executive Director of VCU’s Office of Health Equity
Additional Resources
Tuesday, October 19
"Talking about Race with Respect"
Presented by Alicia Booker, University Ombudsperson, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Alicia Booker is a Ph.D. candidate at Nova Southeastern University’s Conflict Analysis and Resolution program. Her dissertation focuses on competencies of Ombuds in Higher Education. She has more than 15 years of experience in public speaking, executive coaching, conflict management, conflict resolution, and conflict reduction training. Booker has received graduate certificates in executive coaching, conflict coaching, mediation, qualitative research, and advanced training on workplace collaboration. In addition to dispute resolution, Booker’s roots in investigative journalism and private investigation have equipped her with a critical interview and question-asking skills that are key to collaboration.
Additional Resources
Wednesday, October 20
"When Conflict Spreads: Intervention Tips and Tools for Resolving Wider Conflicts"
Presented by Bruce MacAllister, J.D., Ombudsman, International Foundation for Online Responsibility
Bruce MacAllister, J.D. is the Executive Director and Senior Principal of the consulting organization, Business Excellence Solutions. He currently serves as the Ombuds for the International Foundation for Online Responsibility. Beyond his twenty years’ consulting experience, he has served as the inaugural ombuds in to two elite university systems, General Counsel to a large state law enforcement agency, Vice President for Finance and Administration for a regional community college, Employee Relations Director, Training Director, HR Chief of Staff, and Mediator for court systems, municipalities, and state and federal agencies.
Additional Resources
- Download this presentation [PDF]
- Reading and Resources [PDF]
Thursday, October 21
Keynote Address: "Conflict Management in an Evolving COVID Era"
Presented by C. Kevin Coonrod, J.D., Ombudsperson, Auburn University
C. Kevin Coonrod is Ombudsperson for students, faculty and staff at Auburn University. He is a frequent speaker on conflict resolution topics at conferences and workplace retreats, where he enjoys assisting people learn how to resolve their own conflicts through creativity and self-empowerment. He is a former member of the Washington State Bar Association and the Washington Mediation Association. Presently, he is a member of the Alabama State Court Mediator Roster and a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner© through the International Ombudsman Association.
Additional Resources
In the keynote address, viewers are encouraged to take screenshots of two slides. The slides are available below as PDFs:
Friday, October 22
Thank You and Closing Remarks from William King, University Ombudsperson, Virginia Commonwealth University:
On behalf of the Office of University Ombudsperson at Virginia Commonwealth University, thank you for your participation in our 8th Annual National Conflict Resolution Week activities. We hope you enjoyed the week’s various pre-recorded webinar sessions and the accompanying resource lists.
Special thanks to the following:
- Jenn Arce, Planning Committee
- Aíne Norris, Planning Committee
- Linda Hamrick, Planning Committee
Lastly, we want to thank the following presenters and VCU community members who contributed their time and expertise for this event:
- Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., VCU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Gypsy Denzine, Ph.D., VCU Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
- Sheryl Garland, Chief of Health Impact, VCU Health System and Executive Director of VCU’s Office of Health Equity
- Alicia Booker, University Ombudsperson, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Bruce MacAllister, J.D., Ombudsman, International Foundation for Online Responsibility
- C. Kevin Coonrod, J.D., Ombudsperson, Auburn University
- Joe Kuttenkuler, VCU University Relations
- Jamie Stillman, VCU Office of the Provost
- Tom Myrick, VCU Office of the Provost
- Melody Harris, VCU Office of the Provost
- Travis King, VCU HR Learning, Development and Organizational Culture
- Penny McFarline, VCU HR Learning, Development and Organizational Culture
Learn more about how to record external training in the Talent @ VCU system (available to VCU employees only).
Additional Resources, Reading and Opportunities
Resources from VCU
Classes in Talent@VCU (requires eID login)
- Teaching Civility in the Workplace
- Psychological Readiness and Return to Campus
- Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences
- Unconscious Bias
- Conflict Resolution Foundations
- Fred Kofman on Managing Conflict
- Improving Your Conflict Competence
- Cultivating an Inclusive Workplace
- Skills for Inclusive Conversations
Videos
- From Protests to Progress
- 3 ways to resolve conflict by Dorothy Walker, TED Institute
- Protests as a Path to Progress: Making Black Lives Matter
- Visual example(s) of the 5 different Conflict Resolutions Styles
- 10 ways to have a better conversation, Celeste Headlee
- Why are Difficult Conversations So Difficult?
- Mediation and mindfully getting in the middle by Brad Heckman at TEDxTeachersCollege
- Who are Ombuds?
- Ombuds - an emerging resource for organizational conflict by Thomas Kosakowski, TEDxUCLA
- Implicit Bias: How it effects us and how we push through by Melanie Funchess, TEDxFlourCity
Books and Articles (Available from VCU Libraries)
- [Article] "The Critical Role of Conflict Resolution in Teams: A Close Look at the Links Between Conflict Type, Conflict Management Strategies, and Team Outcomes"
- [Book] Conflict Resolution
- [Book] The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice by Peter Coleman
- [Journal] Conflict Resolution Quarterly
- [Journal] The Journal of Conflict Resolution
- [Book] The 7 Principles of Conflict Resolution