Practice

The Center's Practice Team is dedicated to the active involvement of students in as many aspects of the pre-intervention, intervention and post intervention work of the center. Our "pracademic" philosophy is based on two complimentary ideas. The first is to create a "teaching hospital" model whereby we strive to have students take an active role in our casework management from intake to exit, evaluation and diffusion. The second part of our philosophy encompasses the need to continuously examine the latest research and theoretical assumptions that impact our evolving practice techniques so that we can then take back into the classroom setting.

The Practice team helps to close the circle between teaching and research by providing hands on experiential learning that's constituted the "art" component of conflict resolution and peace building.

In late 2000, Pete Swanson and Brian Polkinghorn created the practice team.  The team structure is modeled loosely off the Conflict Clinic, a program we were associated with in graduate school, as well as ideas Brian picked up while at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard University Law School.  The practice team is composed of folks with diverse skills and mindsets but collectively have an enthusiasm for assisting in  complex problem solving endeavors. These traits are needed in order to effectively take part in long-term international projects.

The practice team works around the globe on a variety of projects relating to civil society programs, training government leaders in various international bargaining processes, union-management negotiations, building national court based mediation programs and designing internal dispute resolution systems for state and federal agencies.  In some instances our commitment to a project is relatively short in duration.  For example see a summary of work done in Kazakhstan (.PDF file) while in others we have been involved in large-scale change processes that have lasted years.  An example of a long-term commitment to an international project can be seen in the work we have done in Croatia (.PDF file).  We have also managed long-term large-scale projects in the United States over the construction of major federal facilities and working with American Indian tribal leaders in Alaska.  These projects have been personally and professionally rewarding in that we have been a part of change processes that impact major policy decisions.

Collectively we have worked in over 50 countries and regions including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Kashmir, Bosnia, Israel, the West Bank, Tibet, Ireland, South Africa, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Kosovo, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China and Russia.  Each of these places holds specific challenges that require collaboration and coordination as well as area expertise along with proven conflict analysis and intervention skills.  Our philosophy is to work with people who possess the expert knowledge, experience and credibility in these parts of the world, most often local experts, whom we assist in their overall change process.

The principle members of the team are:

• Pete Swanson
• Frank Carr
• Bob Randolph
• Brian Polkinghorn
• Matthew E. Creamer
• Wes Davis

The following grid provides examples of some of our local, national and international projects, trainings, and workshops. Please note that in many of the local cases, we directly involve students in the Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution major. 

1. Business Disputes
2. Labor Management
3. Environmental

1. American Indian & United States Government Talks

1. Israel
2. Panama Canal
3. Saudi Arabia Contractors
4. NATO Contracts
5. Germany
6. Croatia

1. Campus Mediation
2. Community Mediation
3. Peer Mediation
4. Business
5. Environmental

1. Contact Disputes
2. EEOC Class Complaints
3. Environmental
4. Governance
5. Multi-Statewide Environmental Disputes

1. Israel
2. Panama Canal
3. Saudi Arabia Contractors
4. NATO Contracts
5. Germany
6. Croatia

N/A

1. National Indian Gaming Commission: Minimum Internal Control Standards
2. National Indian Gaming Commission: Environmental, Health & Safety Standards
3. US Department of the Interior: Indian Road Rule
4. US Department of the Interior: Tribal Self-Governance
5. US Department of the Interior: Tribal Self-determination (638 Tribal Self-determination)
6. Self-Governance
7. Indian Housing
8. Public Health & Safety Standards on tribal Gaming Facilities
9. Outdoor Play Areas (accessibility)
10. Multi-Employer Benefits Plans
11. Department of Housing & Urban Development

N/A

1. Loxahatchee Wildlife Nature Reserve
2. Manikin River Action Strategy (MD)
3. Village of Wellington (FL)
4. State Highway Partnering
5. Alaskan Native tribal Health Consortium/Indian Health Services
6. Maryland Evaluation Summit
7. Town of Wellington (FL) Vision 2016 Process
8. Various Site Specific Environmental Disputes in NY, FL, SC, OR
9. Governor's Nutrient Management Summit
10. School Board
11. MDA Tributary Team Public Meetings

1. National Indian Gaming Commission: Minimum Internal Control Standards
2. National Indian Gaming Commission: Environmental, Health & Safety Standards
3. US Department of the Interior: Indian Road Rule
4. US Department of the Interior: Tribal Self-Governance
5. US Department of the Interior: Tribal Self-determination (638 Tribal Self-determination)
6. Self-Governance
7. Indian Housing
8. Public Health & Safety Standards on tribal Gaming Facilities
9. Outdoor Play Areas (accessibility)
10. Multi-Employer Benefits Plans
11. Department of Housing & Urban Development

1. Bosnia-Herzegovina (FMCS)
2. Bosnia-Herzegovina (FMCS)
3. Bosnia-Herzegovina (free-passage issues)
4. Indonesia Contracts

1. Bowie State University (Certificate program in ADR)
2. American University (International Peace and Conflict Resolution Program
3. Indiana University (School of Public & Environmental Affairs)
4. Syracuse University (Summer Institute for Creative Conflict Resolution)
5. George Washington University (Law School ADR Program)
6. California Poly Tech
7. Harvard University (Program on Negotiation and the Kennedy School)
8. Federal Bar Association
9. Ohio Office of Dispute Resolution
10. Arkansas Department of Transportation

1. National Transportation Institute
2. Army JAG School
3. Air Force Institute 
4. Defense Acquisition Institute
5. Construction Super Conference
6. American Bar Conference
7. Internal Revenue Service
8. State Department
9. Department of the Interior
10. Federal Bureau of Investigation
11. Central Intelligence Agency
12. Department of Health & Human Services
13. Department of Transportation
14. Department of Housing & Urban Development
15. Equal Opportunity Commission (plus advanced mediation training) 
16. Department of the Army
17. Department of the Navy
18. Department of Air Force
19. Department of Defense

1. Bosnia-Herzegovina 
2. Guatemala
3. India
4. Japan (3 events)
5. Korea (2 events)
6. Croatia (6 events)
7. Greece (2 events)
8. Sweden (2events)
9. Cyrus
10. Dominican Republic
11. Argentina (3 events)
12. Panama (3 events)
13. Canada (2 events)
14. South Africa (4 events)
15. Israel (4 events)

1. Maryland Highway
2. National Institutes of Health
3. COE
4. Construction Companies

1. AGC/COE Task Force
2. ABA Book
3. CPRIT Task Force

N/A

1. Police
2. Education
3. Construction

N/A

N/A

1. Local Universities
2. Alaskan Tribal Health Consortium/Indian Health Service

1. Social Security Administration
2. Department of the Interior
3. Internal Revenue Service
4. Department of Transportation
5. Department of Labor

1. Croatia
2. Bulgaria
3. Kazakhstan

1. Construction Law
2. Peace Curriculum in University Settings
3. ADR in the Maryland Court System

1. Regulatory Negotiations (US EPA & Department of the Interior)
2. ADR Construction Dispute Review Board
3. Government Contracting
4. Review of Practices in Graduate CR Programs

1. Conflict Styles in South Africa, Israel, Bosnia & Northern Ireland
2. Foreign Military Sales
3. Building Positive Peace: World Boy & Girl Scouting Jamboree, Santiago Chile, December 1998

1. Maryland Evaluation Summit
2. Work Place Conference (X6)

1. Office of Personnel Management Blue Ribbon Panel on ADR Workplace
2. Federal Dispute Resolution Conference (X7+)
3. ACR (X2)
4. ISA (X2)
5. PSA (X3)
6. NCPCR (X6)
7. APPM
8. APSA (X2)
9. ABA (X3)
10. US EEOC Headquarters
11. Cornell University (PERC)
12. Harvard University (PON)
13. GSA (X9) 
14. University of Utah (Conflict Resolution Program)
15. Colgate University (Peace Studies & SOAN Departments)

1. International Peace Research Association PRA (South Africa)
2. International Group Tensions Conference
3. International Coral Reef Monitoring, Assessment & Restoration Conference 
4. University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
5. Hebrew University
6. Tel Aviv University
7. Ben Gurion University
8. Bar Ilan University
9. Haiffa University
10. University of Natal
11. London School of Economics
12. Queens University Belfast
13. Irish School of Ecumenics
14. University of Durban Westville
15. University De Norte (Columbia)
16. Carlton University (Canada)