Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Former Provost Writes Book on Conflict Management in Higher Education

By Brennan Engle

Dr. James Coffman, former Kansas State University provost and professor of clinical sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, has written a book about conflict management in academia entitled “Work and Peace in Academe: leveraging time, money, and intellectual energy through managing conflict.” The book, geared towards administrators and faculty leaders, is a guide for creating conflict-resolving strategies in the academic sector.

Coffman developed an interest in dispute resolution and conflict management pertaining to higher education ten years ago while serving as provost. As the university’s chief academic officer, he realized that many people in higher education were not dealing well with conflict in the academic environment. Coffman found many conflicts at universities, including K-State, were the result of poor policy or policy not being followed. The book addresses conflict among individuals within the four tiers of university hierarchy: faculty, department heads, deans and administration.

“Not only does unproductive conflict make everyone miserable, it also costs a lot of money in terms of time and other resources,” Coffman said. “It drains off the intellectual energy of the university that should be going into other things.”

Coffman says two emotions – fear and anger – are mostly responsible for moving conflict from the realm of ideas to personal attack. Also, he says that when problems are not resolved amongst individuals, a long-term sense of anger at the institution or people in it can develop. Coffman said two major personal traits that foster an atmosphere of conflict are: self-centeredness and a lack of mutual respect.

Coffman cites the concept of tenure, the status granted to a teacher usually after a probationary period that protects him or her from dismissal, as a source of long-term tension between faculty and administrators. Tenure is unique to the academic setting, and while it is designed to protect faculty, Coffman says it has its drawbacks as well. “Tenure accomplishes a lot of good things, but it also creates an environment that can really lead to chronic, ongoing conflict that, if not dealt with, can last throughout the careers of individuals,” he said. “Long term relationships are especially important in an environment that includes tenure.”

In the book, he also addresses the role of conflict due to racial and gender discrimination in the academic environment. He notes that in the past, when an individual had a discrimination complaint that didn’t rise to a legal standard, it was dropped. During his last years as provost, Coffman helped implement a system for addressing the underlying issue, even if it was not a legal imperative through the affirmative action office. “You have to have a multiple entry and exit system for problem resolution to avoid dead ends,” he explained.

Coffman served as provost of the university for 17 years before stepping down in 2004. Before becoming provost, he served as head of the Department of Surgery and Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State, and later became dean of that college. During his time as dean, Coffman chaired a gubernatorial task force that drafted legislation for pari-mutual wagering in Kansas. He has also served as chair of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Professional Liability Trust.

A native of Lyndon, Kan., Coffman says he learned about conflict resolution at an early age from his father, a small town lawyer who preferred estate planning to litigating divorce cases. “He told me the main value of a contract is to define how an arrangement will be dissolved in an orderly manner if it doesn’t work out,” Coffman said.

Coffman hopes this book will touch the academic world in a positive way to prevent unproductive conflict and promote resolution.

The book is available through the Anker Publishing Company and can be purchased from their web site at: www.ankerpub.com.