Higher-education institutions in the US are increasingly hiring ombudsmen to resolve faculty members' complaints before they escalate into more serious problems. Faculty ombudsmen handle a range of complaints, from mundane disputes over office space to career-changing battles over termination.

This report of the Ombudsman at Cornell University discusses: the composition of the staff; the volume of work; the sources of the complaints (the office serves the whole University community); the classification of complaints by subject, and source of complaints by College or Agency; the procedures used in handling the complaints; the types of…

This pamphlet describes the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman, an impartial resource to help customers resolve student loan concerns when other approaches fail. The ombudsman helps resolve discrepancies in loan balances and payments, and helps customers understand interest and collection charges. The office helps resolve issues related to income tax…

This report by the campus ombudsman at San Diego State College discusses in the preface some ways of approaching the position and the elements to be included in prospective job descriptions. The report begins with a description of the kind of person needed for such a position, how to establish the office and choose the man, the type of office…

The office of Ombudsman at San Jose State College was created as a response to a series of demonstrations by the black community protesting discrimination experienced on and around campus. The Ombudsman was to "search out and facilitate the removal of discrimination of the basis of race, creed, or national origin" wherever it occurred.…

Many people in our society turn to courts for the resolution of every problem. By delegating to judges the authority to declare our legal rights we diminish our individual and collective liberties. This trend of legalism can have important consequences for school administrators. Rather than resist or evade the law, school officials can obviate…

Establishment of an office of state ombudsman to resolve faculty disputes at state-supported institutions is recommended. The education ombudsman would have no decision-making authority but would have strong recommendation power, and would be free of internal institutional politics. (MSE)

The article explores two types of grievance systems widely utilized in the American public school system: code grievance systems and alternative structures. (RLV)

A review of strategies for resolving conflict in higher education institutions looks first at traditional mechanisms, such as student conduct committees and grievance systems, faculty grievance mechanisms, arbitration, and litigation, and then examines conciliatory methods, including mediation systems for handling student, faculty, and staff…

Mediation, in which a neutral third party helps two people come up with their own solutions, is being used to settle faculty and staff grievances. Experiences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Duke University, Emory University, and the University of Cincinnati are described. (MLW)

We live in a time of rising ethnic and racial tensions, great public frustrations, and great demands on school systems. A school district needs to develop a system that allows for the most effective working relationship between the school and the community, that facilitates the solution of problems, and that nurtures the growth of new ways to…

This document analyzes the responses to a survey conducted in 1997 on the role of the Ombuds Office in higher education, and also considers the characteristics of professional neutrality needed for successful conflict resolution. Of 178 institutions surveyed, 109 responses include 54 institutions with ombudsmen, 7 without such a position but with…

Traces New Zealand's introduction to school mediation, reviewing underlying goals of nonpunitive dispute resolution in the United States and highlighting significant initiatives. The establishment of the Hagley School Mediation Service is described and compared with Hawaii's Dispute Management in the Schools Project. Recommendations for school…