- Why Ombuds Day MattersEvery day, it seems, is somebody or something’s day. Wednesday, October 12, 2002, for example, is recognized simultaneously as World Arthritis Day, National Vermont Day, National Savings Day, National Gumbo Day, National Farmer’s Day, and National Freethought day—a real boon for the Vermont farmer who speaks their mind, has a taste for Cajun cuisine, suffers from joint pain, and is…
- Ombuds Week is Nearly HereEach year, the ombuds profession celebrates Ombuds Day on the second Thursday of October. Intended to educate and raise awareness about the nature of ombuds work, the day is commonly marked by events like lunch-and-learns, workshops, and seminars. At UNLV, our desire to raise awareness is so great that we have planned an entire week of activities that are free, open to the public, and…
- The Working Better Together Series Is Happening This FallThis fall, UNLV is offering a large number of professional development workshops for employees, and the Ombuds Office is happy to take part in the Human Resources Professional Development program (HRPD). Our six-part Working Better Together series highlights conflict resolution tips and techniques, with spots remaining in many classes. Each 90-minute workshop is highly interactive. In…
- Finding Your Strongest AdvocateI’m not going to lie to you. It feels great to have an advocate. Someone standing tall, standing strong, with a loud, clear voice fighting for you and only you. Determined to make sure you get what you have earned. Someone eloquent, sure, and fierce. Or at the very least, someone who will face your spouse, or boss, or direct report so you don’t have to. What do you gain by having…
- What Does an Ombuds Do (And How Do You Say It)?With the start of the semester, I am getting to know many new faculty, staff, and students. One of the biggest questions I get (after my new acquaintance struggles over the word “ombuds”) is, “What does an ombuds do, anyway?” First things first: how do you say it? This is one that lots of folks struggle with. For a five-letter, two-syllable word, there are apparently many alternate…
- New Semester, New Programs at the Ombuds OfficeLast Monday, I was privileged to take part in this year’s New Faculty Orientation. The event, organized by the Faculty Center, welcomed well over one hundred new academic and administrative faculty members to campus for a group lunch and an in-person introduction to UNLV. As part of the program, I enjoyed leading the group through a (hopefully) fun and (definitely) quick conflict…
- A New Way to Grow: FeedforwardI recently participated in a three-day virtual International Ombuds Association core course on effective communication. While I have many, many takeaways from it, there is one that I want to share right away: Marshall Goldsmith’s concept of feedforward. When workshop leader Vikram Kapoor introduced it to the group, I saw immediately the potential of feedforward to make evaluative…
- Ombuds Office Quarterly Summary: April to June, 2022 ReleasedThe Ombuds Office has just released its Quarterly Summary covering the second quarter of 2022. This brief report reviews the work that was done in the office from April to June, 2022. I will summarize a few main observations here, and I encourage you to read the report if you would like to learn more. The Ombuds Office serves the UNLV community in four main ways: by listening to those…
- Learn About Ombuds Interactive WorkshopsAs Ombuds, I spend much of my time working with people one-on-one, whether it is in consultations or conflict coaching. I also dedicate a good part of my time to developing and presenting workshops to campus groups. I would like to tell you why I offer workshops, and explain what they entail. My overarching goal as Ombuds is to help people at UNLV deal with conflict better and, along the way,…
- Confidentiality and the Ombuds OfficeThe International Ombuds Association outlines four fundamental principles that buttress the practice of organizational ombuds. They include independence, impartiality, informality, and confidentiality. I would like to talk a little about what confidentiality is and why it is such an important part of any ombuds office. According to the IOA’s Code of Ethics, confidentiality “is the defining…
- Thoughts on My First Year as OmbudsAs June 1, the first anniversary of my assuming the Ombuds role, approached, I wanted to take a few minutes to share some reflections on my first year in the position. That I’m finally writing this more than three weeks later is evidence that I have been, and continue to be, busy serving the campus. In that time, I have met with hundreds of people and given talks to a variety of campus…
- Ombuds Office Quarterly Summary: January to March, 2022 ReleasedThe Ombuds Office has just released its Quarterly Summary covering the first quarter of 2022. This brief report, true to its title, summarizes the work that was done in the office from January to March, 2022. I’d like to share a few of the most salient points with you here, and encourage you to read the report yourself if you would like to learn more. First, I’d like to explain what…