My name is Catherine Langlois, and I am the ombuds for faculty on Main Campus. I am a Professor Emerita from our very own McDonough School of Business, where I taught game theory and wrote about the game-theoretic foundations of conflict and cooperation. In 2015, I was elected President of the Peace Science Society International. I am also a certified organizational ombudsman practitioner and a certified mediator. By becoming an ombudsperson, I went from theory to practice.
I have served as ombuds for Georgetown University Faculty since 2006 with a brief three year interruption when I retired from my faculty position in 2016.
My goal as an ombuds is to help untangle the causes of conflict in the workplace and to help my visitors develop strategies to address the workplace issues they might be facing.
The Main Campus Faculty Ombuds Office is a safe place to share your workplace concerns for all tenure, tenure-line, full-time non-tenure line, and adjunct faculty.
Established by the Provost on the recommendation of the Main Campus Executive Faculty in October 1999, as a safety net for the workplace problems and concerns of all Main Campus faculty members. The office provides an informal, impartial, neutral, and confidential environment where faculty can discuss workplace concerns and disputes and where possible solutions can be mapped out. We do not advocate for any individual point of view, and do not participate in any formal grievance process, but work to promote a fair process for all.
About the Faculty Ombudsperson
Issues and Concerns
What are the type of concerns you can bring to the Main Campus Ombuds?
Any workplace concern can be brought to the ombuds office. Here are some examples:
Rank and tenure
Conflicts with colleagues, students, or administrative staff
What is an Ombudsman? An Ombudsman is an independent, neutral third party who helps Main Campus faculty with concerns, issues, or workplace complaints using confidential and informal means. To assist visitors develop strategies to address their concerns, the Ombuds can use a variety of methods from coaching to mediation and shuttle diplomacy if the visitor authorizes it. The ombuds typically works informally, outside lines of authority, to identify solutions and access information. The Ombuds Office is not an office of notice and does not keep personalized records. Who can visit the Ombuds Office?
The Main Campus faculty ombuds office is open to all faculty whether tenure-line, full-time non-tenure line, adjunct, or visiting. The office is also open to AAPs, Post Doctoral fellows and researchers. The Main Campus faculty ombuds serves all main campus departments and all Georgetown Schools except the Medical School and the Law School. Who is the Ombuds and how can they be reached?
The Georgetown Faculty Ombuds, Professor Emeritus Catherine Langlois is a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner and member of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA). She upholds and applies the IOA Standards of Practice and conforms with the IOA Code of Ethics. The Main campus Faculty Ombuds can be reached by phone at 202-687-1638 or by email at ombudsoffice@georegtown.edu or langlois@georgetown.edu.
The Ombuds will respond to calls or emails within 24 hours What should the visitor expect when visiting the Ombuds? First and foremost, the Visitor can expect to receive the Ombuds’ full attention to the concerns and issues brought to her attention. The Ombuds’ goal is to help the Visitor develop possible solutions to the problem at hand and to assist in identifying campus resources that could be helpful. The Ombuds can also serve as a mediator or go-between if the Visitor wishes it and authorizes it. The Visitor can bring supporting documents to the Ombuds office to clarify the facts of the case but these will either be returned to the Visitor or shredded after the meeting with the Ombuds. How does the Ombuds maintain confidentiality and neutrality? The Ombuds subscribes to a Code of Ethics from the International Ombuds Association (IOA). Impartiality and neutrality are key ethical principles of the IOA’s Code of Ethics. Conversations are confidential unless permission is given by a visitor to relay information and, as a matter of practice, information is destroyed after 40 days unless a process is ongoing. The Ombuds office is not an office of record. However, confidentiality cannot be promised if there is an imminent risk of serious harm or threats to public safety.