The Ombudsperson attempts to resolve conflicts that arise between members of the College. The term “Ombudsman” is a Swedish word used to describe public officials designated to resolve citizens’ grievances with governmental agencies.

The City College of New York’s Ombudsperson is Professor Diane Sank (dsankombudsperson@nj.rr.com).

What does the ombudsperson do?

• The Ombudsperson is a neutral and independent member of the City College Community who responds to complaints from faculty, staff and students.
• The Ombudsperson is sensitive to the rights and concerns of each person who is involved in a complaint brought to the Ombudsperson's office. 
• The Ombudsperson provides a confidential space to discuss concerns and complaints. 
• The Ombudsperson listens to concerns and shares information concerning City College policies. 
• The Ombudsperson helps to generate solutions to resolve problems. 
• The Ombudsperson may share general concerns with City College administration in order to engage the College community in conversation and to enhance communication between the members of the College community.
• There is a Student Ombudsperson in the Office of the Ombudsperson who performs his/her duties in consultation with the Faculty Ombudsperson.

What doesn’t the ombudsperson do?

• The Ombudsperson does not share information concerning any case unless permission is given by the person who brings the concern to the office.
• The Ombudsperson does not maintain permanent records of individual cases. Instead, the Ombudsperson keeps anonymous data on the number and nature of cases brought to the office. 
• The Ombudsperson has no power to create or change City College policy or rules.