National Conflict Resolution Week 2020
Monday, October 12 - Friday, October 16, 2020
Welcome to the 2020 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. You will still see references to "National Conflict Resolution Day" as we honor the annual date with other colleges, universities and businesses around the nation.
Each day this week, new videos and resources will be posted below. Our celebration culminates with a keynote address and interactive Zoom session on Thursday, October 15.
Monday, October 12: Welcome and VCU's Commitment
Agenda
- Welcome and Opening Remarks - William King, University Ombudsperson
- VCU Proclamation - Gail Hackett, Ph.D., VCU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
- A Brief History of National Conflict Resolution Day and its Importance at VCU - Peter Buckley, M.D., Dean of the VCU School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs for VCU Health
- VCU's Commitment - Michael Rao, Ph.D., President, VCU and VCU Health System
Additional Resources
Note: 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. You will still see references to "National Conflict Resolution Day" as we honor the annual date with other colleges, universities and businesses around the nation. Thank you for your support!
Tuesday, October 13
"Dignity: Vital for Healing Conflict"
Presented by Allison Monyei Whaley, J.D., Ombuds for Employees, Montgomery College
Allison Monyei Whaley serves as the Ombuds for Employees at Montgomery College. Independence, neutrality, and confidentiality have characterized her work. Allison is a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner and holds the distinction of being certified by the Mediation Training Institute as a trainer in workplace conflict resolution and credentialed by the Society for Human Resource Management. Before entering the ombuds profession, she worked as an attorney, advocating on behalf of our nation’s veterans and their families.
Additional Resources
- Download this Presentation [PDF]
- Dignity Handout from presenter [PDF]
- Leading with Dignity by Donna Hicks (discussed in the presentation)
"Things You Can Learn from your Ombudsman About Conflict, Trust and Accountability"
Presented by LaCrisia "Cris" Gilbert, Organizational Ombudsman, National University
After earning her Master in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute, Gilbert carved a flourishing career for herself in mediation and dispute resolution as a private mediator, CEO of a non-profit dispute resolution center and educator at various colleges and universities. In 2018, Gilbert was appointed as the first Ombuds for National University, headquartered in La Jolla, CA. As Organizational Ombudsman, she serves faculty, staff, and students as issues arise. Gilbert offers guided facilitations, mediations through the University legal department, and she also oversees the more informal processes to bring parties to resolutions. Colleagues describe Gilbert as "an effective teacher, practitioner, and leader in the profession of mediation."
Additional Resources
Wednesday, October 14
"COVID-19 Pandemic: Pursuing Advocacy and Fairness During Challenging Times"
Presented by William E. King, University Ombudsperson, Virginia Commonwealth University
William E. King has 36 years of higher education experience, at five institutions throughout the United States. He has spent the past 25 years as an organizational ombudsperson. He is a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner. Mr. King’s background and experiences in mediation and dispute resolution in an academic environment will be an invaluable resource at VCU and ensure that our campus remains one of collegiality, openness and inclusion.
Additional Resources
- Download this Presentation [PDF]
- "What is it like on campus? Students, faculty and staff share their experiences," VCU News Oct. 7, 2020
- "‘Support and care for students’: University Counseling Services poised to help in a stressful time," VCU News Sept. 1, 2020
- "Concerns rise over increase of COVID-19 cases at colleges and universities," NBC12 Sept. 1, 2020
- "The Coronavirus Is Upending Higher Ed. Here Are the Latest Developments," Chronicle of Higher Education Mar. 3, 2020
Note: 05:23 in the video contains strong language.
Thursday, October 15
Keynote Address: "Changing the Context of Conflict"
L. Trey Wilson, Facilitator, Actor, Writer and Director
L. Trey Wilson is an actor, writer, director and facilitator. Originally from Chicago, IL. he now resides in Los Angeles, CA. He has facilitated conversations regarding race, gender, culture and sexuality for corporations and MBA programs across the country and abroad, (Canada, Israel and Australia). He is the recipient of various writing awards including, the NAACP Award, 2 GLAAD Awards, The Ovation Award and The Critics Choice Award. He has also been featured on NPR's All Things Considered.
Additional Resources
- L. Trey Wilson's website
- Follow Trey on Instagram @ltreywilson or click here
- "This is why everyday racial profiling is so dangerous" CNN, 2018
- The Marshall Project, Racial profiling, a curated collection of links
- White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Interactive Activity via Zoom
Noon - 1:30 P.M.
Registration closes at noon on Oct. 12 - a Zoom link will be sent to registrants with confirmation of sessions. Participants will select two conflict resolution or mediation-themed scenarios to discuss in break-out rooms via Zoom. The sessions will be moderated by VCU leaders, the national Ombudspersons who provided small talks earlier in the week and the keynote speaker.
Friday, October 16
Thank You and Closing Remarks
Jenn Arce, Program Coordinator, Office of the Provost
William E. King, University Ombudsperson, Virginia Commonwealth University
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
Questions for Presenters
Questions submitted for the national Ombudspersons and keynote speaker will be answered and posted by next week. Thank you for attending our virtual celebration of National Conflict Resolution Week 2020.
Thank You
Thank you for attending our virtual celebration of National Conflict Resolution Day 2020. In addition, thank you to the following people for their invaluable contributions to this virtual event:
- Gail Hackett, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Peter Buckley, M.D., Dean, School of Medicine and Executive President for Medical Affairs, VCU Health
- Michael Rao, Ph.D., President, VCU and VCU Health System
- Allison Monyei Whaley, J.D., Ombuds for Employees, Montgomery College
- LaCrisia "Cris" Gilbert, Organizational Ombudsman, National University
- Trey Wilson, Facilitator, Actor, Writer and Director
- Joe Kuttenkuler, University Relations
- Teresa Dulaney-Dewald, University Relations
- Karen Olinger, School of Medicine
- Jamie Stillman, Office of the Provost
- Tom Myrick, Office of the Provost
- Melody Harris, Office of the Provost
- Tim Davey Ph.D., Office of the Provost
- Mandy Moffett, Office of the President
- Erin White, VCU Libraries
- John Venuti, VCU Police
- Charles Klink, Ph.D., Division of Student Affairs
- Ian Kunkes, Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity
- Jihad Aziz, Ph.D., University Counseling Services
- Gypsy Denzine, Ph.D., Office of the Provost