Kansas State University

Ombudsperson support at K-State

Submitted by Human Capital Services

A crucial role in representing the interest of faculty and staff is the presence of ombudspersons, as outlined in C192 of the university handbook. 

Ombudspersons are selected to reflect the demographic diversity of employees at Kansas State University, and they come from the categories of tenured faculty, unclassified professional staff and at-large representation. Most importantly, these individuals do not serve in other roles within the university that might compromise their ability to be perceived as unbiased.

Ombudspersons can be contacted for a variety of situations, such as:

• Inquiries related to promotion and/or tenure.
• Inquiries related to renewal of a probationary contract.
• Concerns of salary inequities.
• Evaluation disputes.
• Disputes between faculty and/or unclassified professional with the administration, or between faculty members and unclassified professionals.
• Other concerns relating to employment.

The role of an ombudsperson is to serve as a listener who maintains a degree of confidentiality. They provide information on university policies and procedures while also serving in the vital role of facilitating communication as a neutral party to empower employees to reach a resolution in conflict. Additionally, they advise colleagues about the appropriateness of mediation and how to access it through university resources. Additional information on the ombudspersons role can be found online.

The current ombudspersons are:

• Tara Coleman, associate professor, Hale Library, tcole2@k-state.edu.
• Jared Meitler, director, Pre-Professional Advising Center, jmeitler@k-state.edu. 
• Anne K. Phillips, professor, department of English, annek@k-state.edu.