Faculty Ombud
Faculty Ombud
Welcome to the online home of the Faculty Ombud!
The Faculty Ombud helps Southern Miss faculty to explore fair and effective means
of resolving problems that may interfere with your ability to teach, research, or
work. The Faculty Ombud’s office is a confidential, independent, impartial, and informal
resource. The ombud listens, refers, and helps to facilitate solutions.
Visiting the ombud begins with a confidential conversation. You do not need to provide your name and you are assured that the ombud will keep anything that is said private. Independent of the administration, the ombud provides impartial and informal assistance with interpreting university policy and identifying strategies for resolving issues. No problem is too large or too small.
The Faculty Ombud serves all full-time and part-time faculty at all Southern Miss campuses, tenured or not, including online instructors and faculty administrators. Seeking our services is voluntary, but our commitment to creating a fair and pleasant workplace at Southern Miss is absolute. Through our support of the faculty, we seek to advance the university’s mission and ideals (as outlined in the University’s “Vision, Mission, and Values” statement and the Code of Ethical Conduct).
Reassurances
The Faculty Ombud’s role is defined by a university charter (pending approval) that guarantees that the ombud’s office will operate independent of the administration in an impartial and confidential manner and that there can be no retribution for consulting with the Faculty Ombud. The ombud will never take any action without your consent and primarily provides the tools and support you need to face the issues you are confronting.
Visitors may drop in during office hours or may make appointments by phone or email. Because we value confidentiality, visitors are strongly encouraged to use the phone or email to make appointments and to save the details of your concerns for a face-to-face meeting or online meeting). The Faculty Ombud does not maintain records beyond what is strictly necessary to facilitate conversations and does not retain records of individual visits.
Communication with the Faculty Ombud does not constitute (pending approval of the charter), notice to the University with regard to violations of laws, regulations, or polices, including sexual harassment (to the extent allowable by federal and state law and Mississippi’s Institute of Higher Learning). The Faculty Ombud is not an office of notice and will not violate confidentiality unless there is a credible threat to safety or a court order.
Additional
Along with providing individual support, the Faculty Ombud identifies trends that may undermine the university’s mission and faculty welfare. While the ombud does not make policy and will not provide information that compromises your confidentiality, the ombud provides aggregated feedback to the Office of the President on an annual basis.
If you have difficulty accessing any portion of this website with adaptive technology or because of a disability, please contact the Faculty Ombud.