Mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) have long been used for conflict resolution in legal settings. Conflict resolution strategies are designed to provide a dispute resolution process that avoids costly litigation. While litigation is far less common in higher education than the corporate world, mediation and alternative dispute resolution strategies can play a valuable role in mediating faculty, staff, and/or student conflict. This presentation will discuss the application of conflict resolution strategies to higher education. Attendees will be provided with an introduction to basic principles of mediation and ADR, including strategies to come to "win-win" outcomes. Participants will learn tools that can be used to discover the differences between student/faculty/staff's stated positions or demands and their true wants/needs. For example, a faculty member's grievance about unequal office space is often not actually about the need for additional space. Instead, it is likely a desire for professional acknowledgement and respect that could be accommodated even if additional space is not available. The presentation will discuss practical ways that higher education administrators such as department heads, deans, etc. can utilize conflict resolution strategies in the workplace to improve morale, working conditions, and efficiency for faculty, staff and students alike.

Authors:
Christine Kiracofe (Rienstra-Kiracofe), Purdue University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Christine Kiracofe is Professor and Director of the PhD in Higher Education at Purdue University in the United States. Her research focuses on legal and financial issues facing K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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