UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Faculty Senate is seeking interested faculty for the position of University Faculty Ombudsperson.
The ombudsperson must be a current or emeritus faculty member. This is a five-year position. The person who is elected will serve one year as Ombudsperson-Elect, concurrent with the last year of the incumbent Ombudsperson’s term, and then serve four years as Ombudsperson.
For the first year, the role of the Ombudsperson-Elect is to acquire a thorough understanding of university policies that pertain to faculty rights and responsibilities and promotion and tenure, and other aspects of the position.
To be considered for this position or to nominate a colleague, send a letter of interest or nomination to Erin Eckley at ele2@psu.edu by March 22, 2021. If you are nominating a colleague, secure the colleagues’ agreement to be nominated before submitting the nomination.
Consultation services rendered by the University Faculty Ombudsperson are exclusively available to “Tenure-Line and Non-Tenure-Line Faculty.” Information on the role of the University Faculty Ombudsperson, recent reports and various related policies and documents can be found on the Faculty Senate website.
Duties of the University Faculty Ombudsperson are outlined in the Senate’s standing rules, article III, section 10, and include:
- coordinating the training of all college and campus faculty ombudspersons;
- providing for the appropriate dissemination of information among the various college and campus faculty ombudspersons;
- acting as the University-level contact for the various college and campus faculty ombudspersons;
- reporting periodically to the Senate Council, and;
- maintaining liaisons with the Office of the University Provost, the Office of Human Resources and the Office of the University Faculty Senate.
For additional information contact Dawn Blasko in the Office of the University Faculty Senate at dgb6@psu.edu and (814) 863-0221, or the University Faculty Ombudsperson Mohamad A. Ansari at maa4@psu.edu and (610) 763-2779.