Putting together a tenure portfolio is stressful enough. Then your colleagues review it. Also a nail-biter. Next your department chair will weigh in. Worrying on its own, but you’ve heard your chair is going to slam you when he writes his review of your portfolio. This is bad enough, but he’s best buds with an influential person in the Provost’s office. Understandably, you are frazzled! Who can you talk to who’s independent, or as one of my colleagues colorfully puts it, “has no dog in the hunt”?

Last fall I wrote a blog piece about one of the four pillars of ombuds work: confidentiality. This time I’d like to cover another: independence. Being independent is what allows me, in my ombuds role, to respond as I see best to your particular needs without input, oversight, or control from any other person or function.

According to the International Ombudsman Association’s Standards of Practice (SoP), independence constitutes several dimensions:

Ombuds are independent from “other organizational entities.” This means that although the position was created by the UMKC Faculty Senate and the Provost’s office, and my budget is funded by the Provost, my work is in accordance with IOA standards, outside of the Faculty Senate or Provost’s approval or permission. The IOA SoPs emphasize this: Ombuds “exercise sole discretion” about whether or how they respond to an individual’s concerns.

The IOA SoPs also state that “ombuds hold no position within the organization that might compromise standards of practice.” That means I frequently turn down committee appointments concerning any type of faculty decision, such as search, P&T, and awards committees. This means I have “no dog in the hunt.”

What does this mean for you as a faculty member considering visiting your Ombuds? If you’re that nail-biting assistant professor awaiting P&T results, I can help you create a strategy to address your concerns to better manage your stress and enhance the clarity of the process. I can help you find policies and procedures that would protect you from any inappropriate department chair influence on the Provosts’ office. At the very least, I can talk through your concerns with you, clarify your goals, help you generate options for moving forward, and assist you in building your strategy.

If you believe this kind of assistance would help you, whether regarding P&T issues or other matters, please contact me. My contact information can be found on the Faculty Ombuds website (www.umkc.edu/facultyombuds.edu).