UTA’s ombuds serves as a neutral for the University. The ombuds can help to find solutions to a wide variety of work-related issues. Conversations with an ombuds are confidential and informal. By talking with an ombuds, a vistor does are not notify the university of a problem or initiate any formal outcome, like a report or a complaint.
In fact, ombuds are independent of every other office in the University.
Ombuds are trained to actively and empathetically listen. They look at a situation from many angles while remaining impartial to any one side.
Jackie Fay, Ph.D., is the first faculty ombuds at UTA, having held the position since Fall 2023 when the Office was established. Jackie is a Professor of English and brings over two decades of experience working as a faculty member at UTA to this position. During her five-year service as the Associate Chair of the Department of English and as the Chair of the UTA Faculty Senate from 2021-23, she worked extensively on UTA policy and procedures, on building consensus for change, and on leading committees to complete meaningful work on campus. She is currently heading up the implementation and analysis of a major faculty job satisfaction survey (COACHE) at UTA and chairing the Faculty Advisory Council at the UT System level. She was inducted into UTA's Academy of Distinguished Service Leaders in 2024. Jackie has completed the International Ombuds Association's Foundations of the Organizational Ombuds course and is currently pursuing their Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner (CO-OP) qualification.
Visitors to the Ombuds Office come in to discuss any issue that is affecting their work life. Visitors might just want to tell their story. Or visitors might want to investigate how they could solve their problem informally or learn more about formal procedures they could pursue. Maybe a visitor wants to understand more about policies that might apply to their situation or resources that could help them. There is no one standard reason that might bring a visitor to the office and no problem is too big or too small. Some example concerns include:
• Communication with colleagues or supervisors
• Disputes and disagreements with a colleague or supervisor
• Workplace inequity or negative work climate
• Procedural inequities or delays in accessing services
• Inappropriate, or uncivil behavior
Faculty can also proactively visit with the Ombuds when they have questions about:
• University policy, practices, resources, or services
• Conducting difficult conversations
• Communicating effectively
• Career planning
Ombuds contribute to change on campus by reporting on trending issues to university leadership and making recommendations about solutions. This high-level reporting does not compromise the confidentiality of the office because it is very general and includes no specifics about cases.
Visits with the ombuds are scheduled for one hour. The ombuds will start by briefly explaining the principles by which the office operates to make sure that the visitor understands the process. Then the ombuds will invite the visitor to tell their story, asking follow-up questions along the way. When the ombuds has gained a good sense of the visitor’s situation, the visit(s) will become more about exploring options, brainstorming ideas, rehearsing conversations, drafting communications, coaching, or similar activities to assist the visitor to find their own solution. The process may take one or multiple visits and can extend over weeks or even months depending on the nature of the issue.
