Welcome to the Office of the Ombuds!
Location: Room 280 Grace Dodge Hall
Office Hours: The College Ombuds is available throughout the week by appointment.
Office of the Ombuds
The College Ombuds is a confidential and independent resource available to students, faculty and staff for resolving problems and conflicts. Members of the College community can use the services of the Ombuds Office when they need assistance or advice, or after other efforts have not succeeded.
The Office provides information and explains options for resolving a wide range of problems and rectifying many situations affecting the academic or work life of members of the College community. The Ombuds responds to all concerns and continually works for a satisfactory outcome for all parties involved in a situation.
Operating Principles
Confidentiality
Discussions with the Ombuds are confidential as permitted by law, except in matters of actual or imminent physical or mental risk. In such matters the Ombuds considers the interests and safety of the involved parties in maintaining confidentiality.
The Office of the Ombuds does not maintain records of specific complaints or problems.
Impartiality
The Ombuds is an advocate for the fair solution of a problem, not for any particular party, and gives equal attention to the rights of all concerned. Moreover, the Office of the Ombuds does not have any decision-making authority in the solution.
Independence
The Office is independent of any organizational unit or group in the College.
Informality
The use of the Office of the Ombuds is not a substitute for taking formal action, such as filing a grievance. The Ombuds also does not participate in any formal grievance procedures. If anyone wishes to officially and formally notify the College about a problem or situation, the Office can provide information about how to do so.
Activities of the Office
The Ombuds:
- Listens to concerns and clarifies the issues in a situation or a problem.
- Gathers information about the source and conditions of a problem, provides information about other resources for help or makes referrals when necessary.
- Evaluates a range of solutions and options with the visitor.
- Offers coaching in how to solve a problem.
- Provides needed information about relevant Teachers College policies and practices.
- Creates avenues for communication among those involved in solving a problem, including setting up meetings when necessary.
- Facilitates a collaboration of the parties involved in finding or mediating a solution.
- Identifies issues and trends in problems and concerns common to those seeking help for the consideration of the College community as whole.
The Ombuds does not:
- Make binding decisions on finding of fact.
- Mandate policies for Teachers College.
- Act as an agent of the College.
- Offer legal advice.
- Provide psychological counseling.
Links to Other Student Services
- Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities
www.tc.columbia.edu/oasid - Office of the Provost and Dean of the College
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/provost/ - Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs
www.tc.columbia.edu/administration/diversity/
Professor Lesko's Biography
Nancy Lesko, Ph.D. joined Teachers College as an Associate Professor in 1998. She has been a Program Director and also the Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Teaching. She is the Maxine Greene Professor for Contributions to Education Emeritus and is currently the Executive Editor of Teachers College Record.
Professor Lesko is a curriculum generalist whose work has focused on the culture of secondary schools, youth studies, gender-and-sexuality studies, and qualitative approaches to research. She is the author of numerous articles and books, including Act your age! A cultural construction of adolescence, Masculinities at school, and Mapping the affective turn in education: Theory, research, pedagogies. She taught courses in the theory and history of curriculum, gender/sexuality studies, critical youth studies, and theory-informed approaches to educational research. Professor Lesko was twice a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa and a member of a UNICEF-funded Teachers College curriculum project in Afghanistan. She also taught in the Teachers College Programs in Tokyo and Singapore.
Professor Lesko is currently collaborating with faculty from the University of Heidelberg on a sex education curriculum for teachers. She is also interviewing public school teachers about the afterlives of teacher strikes.