Duncum Center Solutions is a department within the Learning Design and Operations division at Abilene Christian University’s Dallas Campus.
For many years, Abilene Christian University offered courses in conflict management through the College of Arts and Sciences’ Communication and Psychology departments, as well as the College of Biblical Studies. In 1999, these courses were brought together to form ACU’s first Graduate Certificate in Conflict Mediation program.
Thanks to the vision and generosity of Robert J. “Jerry” Strader and his wife, Patsy, the Center for Conflict Resolution was established in August 2000. Initially housed in a single office on campus, the center assumed direction of the graduate certificate program and began providing outreach services in conflict management, prevention, and resolution. Under the leadership of its founding executive director, Dr. Joey Cope, the center gained recognition in both secular and religious communities throughout the United States and abroad.
In 2001, the center launched Alternatives in Mediation (AIM), a free service for ACU students that fosters a spirit of peacemaking. The following year, the center partnered with the Better Business Bureau to create the West Texas Mediation Center, a low-cost service helping businesses and customers resolve commercial disputes.
Through the generosity of John and Diane Duncum (the Duncum family pictured here), the center relocated in 2005 to a storefront location on Judge Ely Boulevard. In early 2006, it established the Positive Solutions Institute, an in-house consulting group offering conflict analysis, training, and mediation services for individuals and organizations.
In the fall of 2006, the center launched the Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation program. That same year, a long-time dream of the Duncum family became reality when the ACU Board of Trustees approved construction of the Diane and John Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution on property adjacent to the main campus. Generous gifts from the Duncums and other supporters funded the 7,000-square-foot facility.
In 2010, John Duncum endowed the center’s operational fund, and the Center for Conflict Resolution proudly adopted its new name: the Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution.
In 2015, the center moved to ACU’s Dallas Campus and rebranded as Duncum Center Solutions to reflect its expanding portfolio of professional development offerings for leaders and organizations. Today, Duncum Center Solutions continues this work through Executive Education and Professional Advancement programs based at the Dallas Campus. The original Duncum Center building in Abilene now houses the Center for Speech, Language, and Learning.
In 2018, Duncum Center Solutions expanded again to include instructional design and educational technology services for ACU’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies (CGPS). Today, the center partners with the College of Leadership and Professional Advancement, College of Health and Human Services, College of Learning and Development, College of Business Administration, and College of Health and Behavioral Sciences to advance ACU’s mission through innovative learning design and operational excellence.