University of Colorado Boulder Provost Russell L. Moore today announced that Kirsi Aulin has been appointed as the new campus ombuds. Aulin replaces Tom Sebok, who retired in December 2015 after 25 years of building and directing the CU-Boulder Ombuds Office.
"Kirsi is highly regarded in the national ombuds community," said Moore. "She brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity to the CU-Boulder Ombuds Office and will build on the strong foundation established under Tom Sebok鈥檚 leadership. I look forward to working with Kirsi to further enhance the significant impact that the Ombuds Office has on our campus."
The role of an ombuds office is to serve as a confidential, neutral and informal resource for undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty to assist with any campus-related conflict or concern. CU-Boulder ombuds helps visitors define the nature and scope of the concern or conflict and then identify options to achieve a desired outcome.
Aulin comes to CU-Boulder from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), having served in the Office of the Ombuds there since 2007 and becoming the campus ombuds and director in 2012. Before joining the Office of the Ombuds, she worked in UCSB鈥檚 Student Health Services. Also a licensed marriage and family therapist, Aulin has held various counseling positions where she has worked with children, families and AIDS patients. She has been trained as a mediator through the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation.
A national leader among ombuds professionals, Aulin is also one of the founders of the Consortium on Abrasive Conduct in Higher Education (CACHE). CACHE is a national organization made up of leaders from all different types of higher education institutions, from Ivy League schools to large public research universities to smaller state and community colleges. The consortium aims to bring together university leaders from around the country to promote dialogue, research and thought leadership to resolve the problem of abrasive conduct in academia.
"I believe the measure of a community is how it treats its members, how we all treat each other," said Aulin. "Institutions that are willing to establish an ombuds office clearly demonstrate that they are committed to supporting and creating a positive environment."
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Contact:
Julie Poppen, CU-Boulder media relations, (O) 303-492-4007, (M) 720-503-4922
julie.poppen@colorado.edu
