WHAT IS THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDS?

The UCSD Office of the Ombuds provides confidential, neutral, and informal dispute resolution services for the UCSD community. The office is available to assist faculty, staff, students, non-Senate academics, postdoctoral trainees, and employees of UCSD Healthcare (UCSD Medical Center and related facilities) who seek guidance with the resolution of academic or administrative issues and disputes. Its services supplement, but do not replace, other administrative processes at the University. The office works to facilitate communication and assist parties in reaching mutually acceptable agreements in order to find fair and equitable resolutions to concerns that arise at the university. The ombuds office also reports general trends of issues and provides feedback throughout the organization, and advocates systems change when appropriate without disclosing confidential communications.

The ombuds office operates independently of ordinary line and staff structures. The office reports to the Chancellor's office for administrative and budgetary purposes, but not regarding the substance of matters discussed in the office. Its services supplement other administrative processes and formal grievance procedures available at the University. When providing services, the ombuds staff adheres to The International Ombudsman Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice which may be found on our website.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM "OMBUDS" AND OF THE PROFESSION?

The position of ombudsman was originally created in Sweden in 1809. The Swedish Parliament appointed an ombudsman to resolve difficult problems in the absence of the country's abducted king. In more recent times, ombuds programs have been created throughout the world to assist citizens, consumers and employees who wish to address concerns about administrative actions or lack of action. In the United States, the various types of ombuds functions are utilized in state and local governments, nursing homes, the media, colleges and universities, corporations, prisons and agencies of the federal government.

Eastern Montana College was the first educational institution in the United States to appoint an ombudsperson in 1966. In 1967, Michigan State University became the first major U.S. University to establish an ombuds office. During the period of nationwide campus unrest in the late 1960's and early 1970's, a number of universities established ombuds programs in an attempt to respond to demands for a neutral, confidential and "safe" place to discuss concerns and voice complaints. It is now estimated that more than 200 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada have established ombuds offices.¹ The majority of the University of California campuses have ombuds programs, some of which started as early as 1969. The UCSD Office of the Ombuds was established on April 22, 2002 by Chancellor Robert C. Dynes as an organizational ombuds office to serve as an alternative channel for communication and issue resolution and was established as part of a comprehensive plan to increase communication and feedback at UCSD.

¹Ombuds history excerpted from the University and College Ombuds Association handbook.

HOW CAN I MEET WITH THE OMBUDSPERSON?

We prefer that you contact the ombuds office by phone at 858-534-0777 or 619-471-0777 to schedule an appointment to meet with an ombudsperson.

CAN I E-MAIL YOU TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT?

E-mail is not a confidential method of communicating. Therefore, we do not use e-mail as a method of communicating with users of the office and we ask that you call our office to schedule an appointment to speak with an ombudsperson.

Judith Carbone Bruner, Director and UCSD Ombudsperson

Judy Bruner has spent her career working in law, higher education and dispute resolution and became the first UCSD Campus Ombudsperson in April 2002. Prior to joining UCSD, Judy was the Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs and Academic Planning at the University of San Diego School of Law. In that capacity, Judy was responsible for academic planning for the law school and managed all aspects of the graduate program including academic advising, curriculum development, enrollment management, admissions, scholarships and student services.

Judy is a trained mediator and practiced employment and labor law in Los Angeles prior to becoming Assistant Dean at USD. She has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, negotiation, mediation and conflict management. She has also worked in international education at Boston University and at USD, and was the Director of USD's summer law program in Florence, Italy.

She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Boston University and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law. Judy remains an active member of the California Bar and is a member of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA), and co-chairs the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee for IOA.

Nancy E. James, Associate Director and Ombudsperson

Nancy brings a wealth of experience in higher education employee assistance work to the Ombuds office. Having been with UCSD since 1977, she is intimately familiar with our organization's environment and workplace culture. In 1987, she helped establish UCSD's first employee assistance program, the Faculty and Staff Assistance program (FSAP), where she served as both counselor and Director. In addition to her expertise as a mental health professional, Nancy has focused extensively in the areas of organizational change management, community building, and in the prevention of workplace violence.

Nancy recieved both her undergraduate degree in Psychology and her Master of Clinical Social Work degree from San Diego State University. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Employee Assistance Professionals Association, and the International Ombudsman Association.