Office of the University Ombuds

The name ombudsman, ombudsperson or ombuds (om budz man) comes from Swedish and literally means “representative.” At the most fundamental level, an ombudsman is one who helps individuals and groups in the resolution of conflicts or concerns (The International Ombudsman Association). There are different types of ombuds. At FGCU there is an organizational ombuds, defined as: “a designated neutral who is appointed or employed by an organization to facilitate the informal resolution of concerns of employees, managers, students and, sometimes, external clients of the organization.” 

The Ombuds will listen to your concern and will work with you to understand your interests and goals. The Ombuds will explain policies and procedures, help define options, and work with you and others to create strategies to resolve problems. If the issue is appropriately handled by the Ombuds Office, we will assist in developing strategies to help resolve your concern or conflict.  If another office is better suited to address or resolve the concern, we will advise you of those options. The Ombuds handles conflicts on a case-by case basis, with different strategies used depending on the issues and individuals involved. 

The Ombuds office is guided by four principles:

 Confidentiality

Students may raise concerns and complaints with the Ombuds on a confidential basis. Exceptions to confidentiality exist due to law and FGCU policy. The Ombuds will explain those exceptions at an initial meeting.

 Informal

The Ombuds uses informal strategies such as mediation, conflict coaching and facilitated discussions to resolve concerns. Formal complaints are handled by other offices such as The Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, The Title IX Office, Office of General Counsel and Human Resources.

 Impartial

The Ombuds is an advocate for fairness rather than a particular individual. The Ombuds works to ensure that members of the FGCU community are treated in an equitable and respectful manner.

 Independent

The Ombuds reports directly to the President. The Ombuds offers feedback to the President and others on systemic problems.