About Bill Warters Ph.D.

"Working with and Learning from Conflict" has been a core theme of Bill's academic career since he got his BA in Conflict Resolution at UC Santa Cruz back in 1984. Bill went on to graduate school at Syracuse University, studying at the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Both as a faculty member and in his personal time working under the name "Conflict Learning Designs" Bill has developed some very creative, informative and functional online tools for conflict resolvers and educators.

Some Background: By the time Bill arrived at Wayne State University in 1997 he had already directed a doctoral program in Dispute Resolution at Nova Southeastern University and created and coordinated campus-based mediation and conflict resolution service centers on three different university campuses where he studied or worked. These experiences qualified him as an expert in the emerging field of campus mediation and dispute resolution programming. Some of his early contributions in this area are noted below.

Using Technology for Information Sharing

Bill probably should have been a librarian, given his longstanding interest in cataloging and sharing relevant resources and information. At first, the most exciting thing was having access to a copy machine and mailing addresses. This was quickly eclipsed by tools like listservs and discussion boards that emerged as the internet came alive.

Probably most exciting, however, was the point when we started to be able to create databases that could then be displayed dynamically online. Some of Bill's early projects using these tools are noted here. The fact that they are still online some 15 years later is rather amazing.

While serving as the Coordinator of the Campus Mediation Center at Syracuse University Bill developed a survey of existing campus mediation programs and maintained it for years. A related project was a Delphi Survey of graduate programs in Dispute Resolution he developed that sought to map the contours of this emerging field.
In 1999 he wrote up a review detailing The History of Campus Mediation Systems: Research and Practice as part of a Hewlett Foundation grant project.
One of the most useful approaches for learning mediation is to participate in a roleplay of a conflict that relates to your area of practice. Like any good trainer, Bill developed quite a collection of campus mediation roleplays, many of which he shared online.
Developing a good syllabus is a labor of love for faculty members who care about their field. Sharing them with others is a generous act. Bill helped develop and maintain a collection of Peace and Conflict Studies Syllabi that is still available online. Keeping track of the literature in an emerging field can also be challenging. Bill's (then) comprehensive annotated bibliography of campus dispute resolution articles helped many folks dig into this topic. Finally, Bill got caught up in the Podcasting craze and produced and shared some valuable materials via the Conflict Learning Audio Podcast.

Some More Recent Activities

Ohio Peace and Conflict Studies Website

Bill developed the Ohio Peace and Conflict Studies Network website supporting 19 Ohio colleges and universities with peace and conflict studies programs.

Quaker Peacemaker Posters

As part of an FGC workshop, Bill developed a set of Quaker Peacemaker Posters highlighting the many ways Friends work for peace.

Comm Tech and Conflict Course

Bill developed a fully online course exploring CMC and the emerging fields of Online Dispute Resolution and Info Activism.

ESCRO project

Working with the local schools, library and court system, Bill and his students developed the East Side Conflict Resolution Outreach (ESCRO) initiative on Metro Detroit's East Side.

Blogtalk Radio Interview

Bill was interviewed on the Texas Conflict Coach Blogtalk Radio program in August of 2014. He shared information on the MADR program he directs at Wayne State University.

Theories of the Third Side Presentation

At the 2018 IIRP Annual Conference Bill presented a review of different theories about who can best intervene in social conflict. The slides are here.

Conflict Studies Book Project

Using open access software, Bill created a site to promote free online sharing of conflict studies books.

Virtual Annual Meeting Host

As webmaster for Lake Erie Yearly Meeting (Quakers) Bill organizes and hosts LEYM virtual annual sessions.

Nonviolent Action History Timeline

Building on data gathered by students and faculty from Swarthmore, Bill put together an interactive timeline of Nonviolence History.

Conflict Resolution Day Poetry Contest

Bill was part of the national Conflict Resolution Day planning committee sponsored by the Association for Conflict Resolution. His CREducation.org website hosted an annual K-12 poetry contest on the theme.

ACResolution Magazine Article

The Association for Conflict Resolution's quarterly magazine featured Bill's article "Empowering Networked Individuals (and Practitioners) to Better Manage Conflict" in the Summer 2015 Issue on Looking to the Future.

Tech for Justice Hackathon

Bill was part of a team that took Second Place at the first national Tech for Justice Hackathon held in June of 2014 at Code for America in San Francisco.

Let's Collaborate!

Perhaps there are ways our interests or skills overlap in useful ways. Please contact Bill if you think we might create something cool together. The sample projects depicted below should provide some sense of the focus and scope of Bill's interests.

Projects Portfolio

Combining scholarly and practical or creative projects is one hallmark of Bill's work. Below you'll find some examples. Click on an image for more information. You can filter the list using the topical buttons.