Maricopa Community Colleges

Maricopa Steward

Maricopa's Ombuds Services

About Ombuds Services

The Maricopa Ombudsperson assists in better serving the interests of public accountability and responsiveness by offering informal and neutral assistance to internal and external constituents when they have disputes or concerns regarding the Maricopa Community Colleges. We facilitate the resolution of constituent concerns that are not otherwise addressed at a college or at the district level, and deliver information about Maricopa’s processes that would serve a constituent’s needs. The Ombudsperson can be a first resource when a party is not sure where to go to get information regarding a particular situation or, as a last resort when other channels of communication have failed. The Ombudsperson does not serve to circumvent established processes, but instead helps to facilitate the review of concerns and resolutions through the proper avenues.

History

The Maricopa Community Colleges first began offering ombuds services to external constituents in 2001. The services of an Employee Ombudsperson were launched in 2007 on a pilot basis with the assistance of a third-party vendor. The District’s goal was to provide employees with confidential and informal assistance in resolving workplace concerns such as conflicts and ethics issues related to suspected compliance or policy violations. Such a service helps to enhance the overall quality of work life at MCCCD. The role of an Employee Ombudsperson was formalized as part of the MCCCD organizational structure with the establishment of the Office of Public Stewardship, whereby concerns from both citizens and employees are addressed.

The term Ombudsman (om-budz-man) means a designated individual who reviews reported issues or concerns about an institution. MCCCD has adopted the term “ombudsperson.” The MCCCD Ombudsperson offers effective, efficient and innovative dispute resolution services, and helps people to use non-adversarial approaches in resolving disputes. The Ombudsperson maintains a high level of confidentiality and impartiality, and acts independently to assist employees to resolve their concerns, complaints and/or disputes without fear of retaliation.

Benefits

The Ombudsperson assists in identifying how to navigate through the Maricopa system in order that a complaint or concern may be reviewed and resolved in a timely manner by the appropriate college or district authority. Services are free and individuals may seek guidance confidentially and without retaliation. The Maricopa Community Colleges want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for all employees to safeguard the values that we espouse every day.

It is important that every employee understand the importance of public stewardship. Your voice is an essential part of the District organization. We rely on you to speak up whenever you see a situation that could threaten our values or bring undue risk to the District, its resources and it employees. For example:

The Maricopa Concernline and Website

1.866.447.9819
www.concernline.maricopa.edu

The Maricopa Concernline is a site through which employees may submit concerns. The District has contracted with a national organization, Global Compliance, to host the toll-free number and website and to ensure that all reports to the site are brought to the proper District authorities quickly and anonymously.

The Employee Ombudsperson

There may be times when you do not feel comfortable approaching your supervisor, or when you are not sure just what to do. If you would prefer to talk through your concern with someone who can help you identify your options and possible next steps, you can use the Employee Ombudsperson as a resource (480.731.8084).

It is important to understand that the District’s ability to act on any given report will be determined by a number of factors, including the amount of information presented.