University of Texas Staff Ombuds Posts First Annual Report

Jennifer Graf Sims, who was appointed as the first Ombuds for Staff at UT Austin in July 2011, has published her first annual report.  Sims summarizes her efforts to stand up the office and provides statistics on the cases from the 2011-12 academic year. She reports that her office saw 187 visitors from 72 departments on campus during her first year.

The majority of cases involved concerns about Career Progression and Development and were initiated by women.  With regard to her efforts to create a new program, Sims says:

In our first year of operations, we dealt with a wide variety of issues from many different sectors of the Austin campus. As we worked on our individual cases, we concurrently established an office charter, clarified Office activities regarding the formal grievance procedures, and implemented security measures to enhance confidentiality. In addition, we developed informational materials including a brochure and a web site. We also participated in training and conferences to further develop our skills and became part of the active information network of ombuds at other institutions, especially within Texas. Our first year activities included a rigorous, ongoing evaluation of our day-to-day work as we honed our services based on a growing store of experience with the multitude of issues that were bought to our office and identified through our reflective practice.

(UT Staff Ombuds.)

Related posts: University of Texas Staff Set Ombuds as Top Priority; University of Texas President Asks for Recommendation on Staff Ombuds; Job Posting; University of Texas Names First Staff Ombuds; Staff Ombuds at University of Texas Debuts Website.