John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

   

October 17, New York, NY – Professor Maria Volpe, Director of the Dispute Resolution Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has been selected as the 2011 Mediation Settlement Day Frontline Champion. Professor Volpe will be presented with the award during the Annual Mediation Settlement Day kick-off event which will takes place on October 18, 2011 at the New York City Bar Association.

"I am extraordinarily pleased to receive this prestigious award. It underscores the crucial role we play at John Jay College in advancing scholarly and applied conflict resolution knowledge, particularly mediation," said Professor Volpe.

The Frontline Champion Award recognizes individuals who have made a meaningful impact on the field of mediation or helped others through their commitment to the effective practice of mediation. Professor Volpe will be recognized for her exceptional and tireless work teaching and promoting mediation. The Working Group, which selects the Frontline Champion each year, took specific note of Professor Volpe's work in creating and administering the NYC-Dispute Resolution listserv. The listserv, which was started in the aftermath of 9/11 to strengthen communication among conflict resolution scholars and practitioners in New York City, now has over 2,100 participants from over 20 countries. It was designed to facilitate information exchange and discussion among those interested in conflict resolution, peacemaking, facilitation, dialogue, restorative justice, violence prevention, social justice and other related fields.

Mediation Settlement Day is an annual event designed to raise awareness about the many benefits of mediation and the wealth of available resources for people stuck in conflict.

In New York, Mediation Settlement Day is organized by the New York State Judiciary and a Working Group of not-for-profit mediation providers and supporters, including the New York City Bar Association.

A member of the College's Department of Sociology, Professor Volpe has written extensively about dispute resolution processes, particularly mediation. Her research focuses on police use of mediation, dispute resolution in educational settings, ADR responses to disasters, the roots of diversity in dispute resolution, and barriers to minority participation in dispute resolution. In addition to teaching and research, she mediates conflicts in educational settings; conducts dispute resolution skills training; facilitates for a wide range of groups; serves on editorial boards, numerous advisory boards, and administers grant-funded projects. Professor Volpe is also the Director of the CUNY Dispute Resolution Consortium at John Jay, which serves as a comprehensive coordinating mechanism to advance dispute resolution research and innovative program development. In 2008, she was the recipient of the New York State Dispute Resolution Association's Lawrence Cooke Peace Innovator Award and in 2010 she was the recipient of the Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater New York ADR Achievement Award.

Professor Volpe received her PhD from New York University where she was a National Institute of Mental Health Fellow.

For more information about Mediation Settlement Day and the Annual Kick Off event, visit http://www.nycourts.gov/ip/adr/MSD.shtml

Established in 1964, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York is an international leader in educating for justice. It offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu.