The CSU Office of the Ombuds has expanded its staff and has been making the rounds to shared governance groups recently to remind employees about its free conflict resolution services.
After a competitive national search, Matthew Ricke joined the ombuds team in January, giving the office a second full-time employee. He joins Melissa Emerson, who has been university ombuds the past four years. Kathy Rickard, who had served as a part-time faculty ombuds since 2016, retired in December.
The university ombuds office is a confidential, impartial, informal and independent resource for all faculty and staff who are seeking solutions to workplace conflict, concerns or issues. The ombuds strive to ensure that employees are treated with respect while offering dispute resolution services tailored to each individual.
The office, located in Room 316 in the General Services Building, serves all CSU employees who voluntarily seek confidential assistance in resolving conflicts with others or addressing concerns about a university policy, for instance. The issues and concerns handled by the ombuds office include relationships between employees and supervisors or peers, performance appraisals, bullying/incivility, compensation/benefits, career progression, diversity/equity, organizational climate, policy/legal compliance and health/wellness/safety.
Rise in usage
The need to expand staffing in the office was prompted by steadily increasing requests for services, according to Emerson and Ricke. Fiscal year 2022-23 saw the highest number of requests from visitors seeking consultations and proactive conflict management training for departments/units.
Emerson told Faculty Council on Feb. 6 that most of the 603 concerns brought forward by visitors last year involved evaluative relationships, specifically around communication, performance appraisal, respect and supervisory effectiveness. The second-highest number of concerns involved peer/colleague relationships (such as difficulties with communication and treatment/respect).
“We encourage faculty and staff to take advantage of this resource,” Faculty Council Chair Melinda Smith said after the presentation.
In addition to one-on-one consultations, the office offers mediation services, conflict coaching and training workshops to proactively prepare community members for effectively and constructively dealing with conflict.
About Ricke
Ricke comes to CSU from the University of Northern Colorado, where he was Title IX coordinator and equity officer. Ricke, who worked in a similar role at the University of Central Florida, holds a Ph.D. and has a background in both student affairs and classroom instruction. He also previously served as director of student success at Front Range Community College-Larimer County.
“When this position opened up, I was very excited about it,” Ricke said in an interview.
Emerson has been at CSU for 18 years. Prior to joining the Office of the Ombuds, she worked in the Student Resolution Center, which provides similar services to CSU students.
While Emerson and Ricke do not participate in formal university processes, they can serve as a thought partner to explore all possible options available to the employee and can make referrals accordingly. Additionally, when they see any trends that are having an impact on employees, they can share concerns with upper levels of the administration, while preserving employees’ confidentiality.
“We are committed to elevating trends to improve the quality of the employee experience,” Emerson said.
Visits with an ombuds can be conducted in person, by phone or virtually. For more information, visit ombuds.colostate.edu.
