The Saint Louis University Office of the Faculty Ombuds is now available to SLU faculty on both the main Saint Louis and School of Law campuses. Lisa Israel M.Ed., faculty ombuds, is accepting in-person, Zoom and telephone appointments.
Faculty, staff and others in the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have access to this service through the School of Medicine's Office of Professional Oversight. Contact that office at 314-977-5388 or by emailing opo@health.slu.edu.
Background of the Faculty Ombuds
The Office of the Faculty Ombuds at Saint Louis University was established in 2023 as a confidential, neutral and impartial resource where faculty can discuss issues and receive informal advice in a safe and welcoming space.
The faculty ombuds seeks to provide visitors an opportunity to explore options regarding concerns by offering resources to help them through their process. The role of the ombuds is to help faculty develop skills and strategies that will aid them in resolving conflict before issues escalate or impair their working environment. In certain situations, the ombuds will assist by facilitating mediation and/or communication on the individual’s request. The faculty ombuds is dedicated to ensuring fairness throughout the University and regularly makes recommendations for systemic change.
As a neutral and independent resource to faculty, the ombuds does not take sides, nor does the ombuds represent faculty in formal grievances. Instead, the faculty ombuds reports trends and systemic issues brought to the Office of the Faculty Ombuds to University officials in order to work toward successful outcomes and to improve efficiencies. The faculty ombuds can make recommendations to members of the University community based on information gathered during visits and will do so when patterns and/or trends emerge.
All visits are strictly confidential and no identifying information is shared without consent of the visitor.
*While the faculty ombuds provides confidential support resources for a wide variety of issues, they have reporting obligations with the Office of Institutional Equity related to complaints of sexual misconduct and discrimination. While the faculty ombuds will discuss issues in these areas with sensitivity and keep your information as private as possible, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
Key Tenets
Independent: The Faculty Ombuds reports to the Provost but is independent of the academic structure at Saint Louis University
Neutral: The Faculty Ombuds seeks to provide an impartial and objective resource to University Faculty. The Ombuds does advocate for productive communication and fair processes and their implementation.
Confidential: Confidentiality is essential to the ombuds role and helps create a safe place in which visitors can talk through their concerns. All information will remain strictly confidential unless the visitor provides permission to share the information obtained. On rare occurrences when complaints regarding sexual misconduct and discrimination arise, this information will be forwarded to the Office of Institutional Equity. Similarly, if someone shares imminent danger or risk to self or others, this information will also be shared.
Informal: The faculty ombuds does not take part in any formal grievance process. If a visitor wishes to make a formal grievance, the ombuds can educate the visitor about those procedures.