Appointment of Caroline Adams as Campus Ombuds

June 22, 2016

After a national search and campus consultation, I am pleased to announce that Caroline Adams has been appointed as the Campus Ombuds. She replaces Kirsi Aulin, who left UCSB to become the Ombuds of the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Caroline Adams brings a great deal of experience and training to this important position. In addition to receiving a J.D. from the University of Montana, she is certified as an Organization Ombudsman Practitioner by the International Ombudsman Association and she has certifications in Mediation and Family Mediation. She worked as an attorney, facilitator, and mediator prior to joining UCSB as an Employee and Labor Relations Analyst in 2011, and she has served as Associate Ombuds since 2013. Caroline has been active in the American Bar Association and the International Ombudsman Association, co-authoring articles, presenting papers, and chairing committees. At UCSB, she has developed workshops and training sessions to address and prevent conflict, and she has worked closely with a variety of campus committees and offices. Caroline received a B.A. in Psychology from Pomona College and a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Montana State University.

The Campus Ombuds assists the UCSB community with the informal resolution of any University-related complaint or conflict. The Office of the Ombuds serves as a confidential, impartial, informal, and independent resource for conflict management, serving all members of the UCSB community, including faculty, staff, and students. The Campus Ombuds assists those who seek guidance with the resolution of academic or administrative issues and disputes that are not being adequately addressed through other University procedures. Matters discussed with the Office of the Ombuds are informal and off-the-record and do not constitute formal notice to UCSB. In addition to Caroline Adams, the Office of the Ombuds includes Faculty Ombuds Michael O’Connell and Assistant Ombuds Ramey Miller. The Ombuds office is located in 1205K Girvetz Hall. It may be reached at 893-3285.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the search committee, chaired by Professor Laura Kalman. The membership is listed below. I very much appreciate the time, care, and thoughtfulness that the committee devoted to this important recruitment effort. I am also grateful to Kirsi Aulin for her many contributions to the campus. Thank you.

Ombuds Search Committee:
Laura Kalman, Chair, Professor, History
Ariana Alvarez, Title IX Officer and Director, Sexual Harassment Prevention
Bassam Bamieh, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Donna Coyne, Associate Director, Admissions
William Forgie, Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
Michael Furlong, Interim Co-Dean, Professor, Counseling, Clinical & School Psychology
Deb Karoff, Executive Director, Academic Senate
Margaret Klawunn, Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs
Everett Lipman, Associate Professor, Physics