(Submitted on behalf of Melanie I. Stein, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs)
I am pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2023, Jack Wang from the Writing Department, Dan Breen from the English Department, and Kathleen Mulligan from the Theatre Performance Department will join the Faulty Ombuds Team. Together, these three bring a broad array of experiences in a variety of arenas both inside and outside of the college. This team of faculty will serve as confidential, approachable, impartial/neutral listeners and resources for faculty members, helping to mediate conflicts, provide feedback, suggesting referrals to other resources as needed and fostering respectful, inclusive, and ethical behavior and fair process. A Faculty Ombuds listens to the concerns of faculty, facilitates constructive dialogue, and assists in evaluating available options.
Responsibilities include:
- offering confidential assistance to Ithaca College faculty of all ranks and positions with informally resolving conflict or other concerns, and issues related to employment, tenure and/or promotion process (including appeals or potential appeals);
- offering guidance to chairs, deans, the Provost, and evaluative bodies associated with the tenure and/or promotion process in addressing individual and collective faculty concerns;
- maintaining a deidentified log of faculty requests and records of deidentified information
- providing, as a team, an annual report to the Provost, President and Faculty Council, or other parties as appropriate, regarding all concerns that faculty have (i.e., reports are limited to trends, no identifying information or confidential information is relayed in the reports) and soliciting additional information to address structural concerns if patterns are found and recommendations need to be made institutionally.
- One member of the team should attend Faculty Council Meetings ex-officio
Please join me in thanking these colleagues for their willingness to provide this essential service for faculty. More information and logistical details to come later this summer.