A Message from President Owen on the New UMDNJ Ombuds Office

William F. Owen, Jr., MD
President, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

May 12, 2009—As I have often said in my many town hall meetings and small group gatherings with staff, students and faculty, improving the quality of work life at UMDNJ is one of my top priorities. This means creating a culture where every member of the University community feels free to discuss issues of great concern and sensitivity. I am pleased to tell you about a new initiative that I believe will bring us one step closer to making such a culture a reality. This is the Office of the Ombuds, a voluntary, confidential, independent and neutral resource for University staff, students and faculty. The Ombuds Office, increasingly commonplace at many corporations, universities and other large organizations, is being established for the sole purpose of assisting those of you who seek a channel to confidentially discuss or address any serious University-related issue. The Ombuds program will be a useful tool to assist you with managing distractions caused by disputes. Although not rendering decisions or making policy, the Ombuds Office can direct you to those who can better help you.

Consider the new Ombuds Office a safe haven where you can seek guidance on how to handle a difficult work-related situation, or how and to whom you can report actual or potential violations of the University’s policies, practices and legal obligations. The University Ombuds can help you decide the real merit of your concern and the best course of action to take to resolve it. Additionally, the Ombuds can provide you with clarification of sometimes complex University policies, procedures or other issues.

This new office will be headed by Neil Schorr, who joined UMDNJ in October 2006 and previously served as the University’s Interim Vice President/Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. In his new capacity, Mr. Schorr will be responsible only to me. Most issues that he will handle will in all likelihood never be shared with me. But there may be concerns that are “early warnings” of potentially serious problems that need to be brought to my attention without identifying the individual parties involved. Additionally, he will provide me with suggestions for policy or process improvements that I will consider along with our senior management team.

Prior to coming to UMDNJ, Mr. Schorr had a long and distinguished career with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. He began in 1978 as a postal inspector, served in increasingly responsible managerial and field supervisory positions, and in 2003 was named special advisor to the Chief Postal Inspector of the United States. Mr. Schorr earned a BA in economics from Lehman College of the City University of New York and a JD from Brooklyn Law School. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and a number of professional organizations, including the International Ombudsmen Association, Health Care Compliance Association, and the American Society for Industrial Security.

In the weeks ahead, you will be learning more about the UMDNJ Ombuds program and how it works. If you think that the Ombuds may be able to assist you in dealing with a serious University-related concern— or even if you’re just not sure— please contact his office at 973-972-0169.

Best regards,

William F. Owen, Jr., MD