Frequently Asked Questions

"Ombuds" is short for "ombudsman," a Swedish word for an official who looks into concerns and helps resolve them informally. The faculty ombuds is a confidential, impartial, independent and informal resource. The office follows the professional standards of the International Ombuds Association (IOA), which is what gives those four principles real meaning in practice.

The faculty ombuds office is available to all members of the University with faculty and post-doctoral appointments. The term "faculty member" includes all tenured, tenure-track and non-tenured track faculty (including visiting faculty). Individuals with graduate student titles such as assistant instructors and teaching assistants should contact Student Ombuds Services.

What the faculty ombuds does: listens to your concerns, helps you clarify what's really at stake, explains how relevant University policies and procedures work, helps you identify and weigh your options, discusses strategies for talking with students, faculty, and/or administrators and can refer you to the appropriate campus office. With your permission, the ombuds can also facilitate or informally mediate a conversation between you and others. 

What the faculty ombuds does not do: make administrative decisions, conduct formal investigations, determine who is right or wrong, impose or recommend discipline or advocate for one party over another. The ombuds advocates for fair process, not for any individual. The office also does not keep formal case records or participate in disciplinary or legal proceedings.

•       Clarification of a University policy or process

•       Questions about the policies in the Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP)

•       Questions about promotion, tenure or reappointment

•       Concerns about annual reviews or evaluations

•       Career advancement, development or job satisfaction

•       Perceived inequities in work or pay

•       Perceived unethical or inappropriate behavior

•       Interpersonal conflicts or concerns about workplace climate

•       Concerns about procedural fairness or due process

The scope of the faculty ombuds' concern extends to all aspects of University life, both academic and nonacademic, which affect faculty and post-docs.

You might want to contact the ombuds office when you:

•       Need an impartial and confidential sounding board

•       Believe you have been treated unfairly

•       Have been unsuccessful in resolving a problem

•       Want to report a problem, but you want to get a sense of possible outcomes first

•       Are not sure how to interpret a University policy or procedure

•       Are not sure which University policy applies to your situation

•       Believe a University policy or practice is unfair or confusing

•       Have been through a formal grievance in which it appears procedural errors were made

•       Need a mediator or help facilitating communication

•       Have a question or a complaint about an office, service or decision at the University

•       Are not sure where else to turn for help

The faculty ombuds will keep confidential the fact of your visit and the information you share unless you give permission to reveal specific issues with specific persons for the purpose of resolving the conflict. However, there are legal exceptions and University policies that occasionally require the ombuds to break confidentiality. These primarily entail a serious risk of imminent harm to yourself, others or a perceived threat to the University. Under the guidelines of the University, the faculty ombuds is designated a mandatory reporter for Title IX purposes and will need to breach confidentiality on Title IX concerns brought up during a visit. The ombuds will inform you if your case is likely to require a breach of confidentiality. With that being said, rarely does the ombuds need to break the confidentiality of a faculty member.

The faculty ombuds keeps no formal case records that identify you, and any working notes are informal and destroyed on a regular basis. Because email creates a lasting record and its confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, the ombuds office generally prefers to discuss sensitive matters by phone, on Zoom or in person rather than over email.

You can contact the office with general questions without identifying yourself, and you decide how much to share. If you'd like the ombuds to follow up with you or look into something specific, it usually helps to share your name and contact information, but what you disclose, and when, is always your choice.

The office is funded to serve as a neutral, independent resource for faculty. It is not an arm of management. The faculty ombuds office reports to the Office of the Provost for administrative and budgetary purposes only and operates according to IOA standards that require independence from management and impartiality. The ombuds will step aside from any matter in which they have a personal conflict of interest.

Unlike most other offices, the faculty ombuds is informal, off the record and not part of any formal complaint process. By contrast:

•       Human Resources administers University policies and formal employment processes.

•       The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides counseling and work/life support.

•       Title IX office receives and investigates formal reports of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct.

•       Department of Investigation and Adjudication (DIA) investigates allegations of discrimination, harassment and other prohibited conduct.

The ombuds can help you figure out which of these is the right destination for your concern and explain how each process works.

Yes. The ombuds office can help you better understand processes and potential outcomes before you decide whether to file a complaint. The ombuds can also help identify alternatives to formal grievance procedures and direct you to the appropriate procedures and office, should you wish to file a formal complaint.

No. Contacting the faculty ombuds office is confidential (except in cases of Title IX or imminent harm) and informal; it creates no record in your personnel or promotion file and is not reported to your chair, dean or department. Retaliation against a faculty member for raising a good-faith concern is prohibited under University policy (Handbook of Operating Procedures 3-1022), and the ombuds can help you think through your options if retaliation is a worry.

The ombuds does not act as your advocate or representative in a meeting. However, with everyone's agreement, the ombuds can facilitate a conversation between you and another party to help both sides communicate and look for workable solutions. The ombuds remains impartial throughout.

No. Psychotherapy is available for faculty on campus by contacting the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

No. The Office of the University Faculty Ombuds is a free resource for all eligible faculty and post-docs.

When you reach out, the ombuds will arrange a confidential conversation to listen and help you think through your situation; there is nothing you need to prepare or bring. Meetings can be held in person, by phone or by video, whichever works best for you.