RIT Office of Student Ombudsman records

During the October 1986 Faculty Council meetings, the concept of an Ombudsman who would serve as an advocate for students was introduced and discussed. A motion to establish an ad hoc Ombudsman Committee was proposed and accepted. In November 1986, the Faculty Council appointed a committee to investigate what functions an ombudsman serves on other college campuses. Members of this committee- Victoria Robinson (Chair), Greg Connor, Bill Nowlin and Glenda Senior- did a search of the literature and submitted a report (April 13, 1987) focusing on the common elements of “ombudsmanship” found among diverse institutions. An Ombudsman Committee was appointed January 1988. Members of this committee- Irene Payne (Chair), Laura Cann, Jimmie Wilson, and Peter Anderson were charged with developing a proposal to establish an Ombudsman Office at RIT. An outline of the Committee’s preliminary proposal was presented to the Faculty Council on April 8, 1988. The Council approved the preliminary proposal and recommended that the committee conduct a feasibility study at RIT. During the summer and fall, the committee members interviewed the academic deans for their opinions and suggestions concerning the rationale, functions, advantages and disadvantages to the Institute and to their college, including proposed reporting and selection mechanism, and possible resulting outcomes for establishing a Student Ombudsman Office at RIT. Dan Vilenski (Registrar) and Stanley McKenzie (Liberal Arts) were interviewed for their critique and suggestions. At a joint meeting of the Faculty Council Executive Committee and the Student Directorate Board of Directors, students were asked for their opinions and suggestions concerning the need, functions, and possible resulting outcomes for establishing a Student Ombudsman Office at RIT. The Student Ombudsman Office was established as a three-year pilot project. Barry Culhane served as the first Ombudsman.