Confidential | Informal | Independent | Neutral

To schedule a presentation or training, please call (517) 353-8830 or email: ombud@msu.edu.

For Faculty/TAs:

Do you struggle with engaging students in the classroom? Do you have students pressuring you with questions related to your classroom policies? Have you had students concerned with your competence as an instructor? The Office of the University Ombudsperson will be present a syllabus workshop for faculty, instructors and their supervisors on creating a syllabus that provides a strong foundation in fairness and equity for the learning environment. Grounded in the Code of Teaching Responsibility, strong syllabi promote student belonging, foster positive faculty-student engagement before a course begins, and diminish faculty workload. In this workshop, we will discuss how syllabi act as a roadmap for students, serve as conduits to trust in the classroom, as well as how syllabi prevent classroom conflict. (May also extend to have time for individual syllabi consultations.)
In this interactive workshop, faculty will have the opportunity to learn key strategies in discussing the importance of academic integrity, as well as in preventing misconduct. Additionally, university policies and procedures in responding to misconduct will be explored to navigate these sometimes difficult conversations.
This presentation is geared toward faculty members who have concerns about working with difficult or challenging situations (disruptive students, incivility, etc.) in the classroom space. We will approach the issue considering applicable university policy, cultivating an environment where students feel supported, and ways to respond when situations escalate.
This presentation discusses the history and function of the Office of the University Ombudsperson at MSU. As an independent, neutral, informal and confidential office, there exist many misconceptions about its role and purpose. Through dialogue with faculty members, the office will answer questions about the role and scope of the ombuds and offer opportunities for clarification of its purposes.
This session will review the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) including the expectations of faculty to protect student privacy and what faculty should do if they believe they have made an error and imposed upon student privacy.
The Office of the University Ombudsperson will design a presentation specific to the concerns and training needs of your unit around academic civility and dignity, academic integrity, rights and responsibilities, conflict resolution, power dynamics, etc. Please contact the office to discuss your specific needs.

For Students:

Have you ever wondered if you were fairly graded? Have you ever been accused of cheating or witnessed cheating? Have you ever felt you were misadvised? Then, this session is for you! This presentation discusses student rights both inside and outside the classroom and how to engage university processes when you have concerns regarding fair treatment.
What do healthy relationships between students and mentors (advisors and faculty) look like? What are student rights and responsibilities in building and maintaining these connections? What happens when things go wrong? Dr. Burton will address how mentoring relationships should work in an ideal setting, tips for communicating effectively with mentors, how to recognize signals that indicate potential concern and how to resolve conflict when it arises.

The discussion will include the following topics (bulleted list):

  1. Rights and Responsibilities
  2. Guidelines for Advising and Mentoring Students
  3. Effective Communication Strategies
  4. Power Dynamics and Abrasiveness
  5. Conflict Resolution Skills
How do we make decisions? What leads us to make the right decision? What elements made decisions unique to us? This workshop provides a space where we can consider the factors that affect our decision-making and what leads us to make decisions that benefit us and those around us.
This presentation serves as an introduction to conflict resolution. We will begin with the premise that conflict is constant, unavoidable, and healthy. From here, we will discuss ways to navigate conflict in ways that can solve problems and strengthen relationships. This presentation can be catered to the audience; we would like to connect with the organizer prior to consider your specific needs.
This presentation is rooted in the Thomas Kilmann model of conflict styles. Conflict styles can include collaborating, compromising, competing, accommodating, or avoiding. While we tend to rely on one of these styles, we can adapt depending on the context and environment of a given conflict. This presentation will provide participants with the opportunity to learn more about conflict styles, to consider their natural approaches to conflict, and how the context of a given dispute can change their approach.
Conflict coaching utilizes coaching strategies to assist one party to understand and approach conflict. While this presentation does not constitute a full training in conflict coaching, it can serve as a brief introduction to the practice.
The Office of the University Ombudsperson will design a presentation specific to the concerns and training needs of your unit around academic civility and dignity, academic integrity, rights and responsibilities, conflict resolution, power dynamics, etc. Please contact the office to discuss your specific needs.

For the Classroom:

What is an Ombuds? Ombuds offices have been on many college and university campuses since the late 1960s. However, in the 1980s the role began to expand to other entities including corporations and government. This session will talk about the history and evolution of the ombuds office and the social contexts in which it emerged. It will also explore the various models of ombuds practice and where students may encounter the role in their own professional lives.
This session will explain the role of the Office of the University Ombudsperson here at MSU, as well as share the role of its peers in the corporate/governmental sectors, especially as it relates to Human Resources. Additionally, the ombuds office will discuss how ethical practices and understanding rights and responsibilities as students can (and do) carry over to the workforce.
The Office of the University Ombudsperson will design a presentation specific to the concerns and training needs of your unit around academic civility and dignity, academic integrity, rights and responsibilities, conflict resolution, power dynamics, etc. Please contact the office to discuss your specific needs.