Faculty Liaisons

The Faculty Liaisons are current UW faculty members who serve in this role in addition to holding their faculty appointments, with 30% of their time devoted to Faculty Liaison duties.

The Faculty Liaisons were appointed following a selection process that included an interview with a faculty committee appointed by the Chair of the Faculty Senate, with input from the University Ombud and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. The Senate Executive Committee reviewed the candidates forwarded by the committee and made a recommendation to the President, who then appointed the liaisons in consultation with the Chair of the Faculty Senate.

All faculty, as defined in the Faculty Code, Chapter 21, Section 21-31, are eligible to work with the Faculty Liaisons. The program is not available to staff, students, or other non-faculty members of the university community.

The Faculty Liaisons can:

• Clarify relevant policies and guidelines.
• Assist faculty in interpreting and responding to formal communications.
• Attend administrative meetings with faculty members, when permitted by code (e.g., Faculty Code, Section 25-71).
• Help faculty members consider their full range of options.
• Provide information on available university resources.

The Faculty Liaisons will not:

• Conduct investigations, make findings, or offer formal recommendations.
• Provide administrative or legal advice.
• Draft or edit correspondence.
• Attend meetings as a proxy.
• Speak on behalf or advocate for a faculty member.
• Conduct mediations.

In situations where the Faculty Code or other University rule and regulations explicitly state that a faculty member may be accompanied in a meeting, you may choose to be accompanied by a Faculty Liaison (e.g., Faculty Code, Section 25-71(B)). 

For other meetings, the Faculty Liaisons will assess and decide whether they would be able participate in a way that is consistent with the Liaisons’ support role and, if so, whether attending such a meeting would require the consent of others involved in the meeting (e.g., Faculty Code, Section 27-31).

In University investigations, the faculty member typically may be accompanied by a Faculty Liaison in investigatory meetings as a support person, but not as an advocate. A limitation on this may be if there are confidentiality or privacy requirements around the content of the investigatory meeting. Before any such meeting, the faculty member should consult with the assigned investigator or representative of the university office conducting the investigation about whether the faculty member may be accompanied by a Faculty Liaison. 

The Faculty Liaisons do not have established confidentiality protection. That said, the Faculty Liaisons are committed to discretion in the use of information received in the course of their work and exercise appropriate care in its recording, retention, and protection.  Faculty Liaisons may be required to disclose information related to potentially unlawful activity or where there is a risk of harm to the individual, others, or the welfare of the community.

Lastly, as employees of a public institution, the Faculty Liaisons must also comply with relevant record keeping laws and regulations, including the Washington State Public Records Act which may require external disclosure of records in certain circumstances. 

The Faculty Liaison program uses an on-line booking system to schedule appointments. You may choose the Faculty Liaison you prefer to work with. If you have concerns about your identity or details of your situation being shared with one of the other Liaisons (e.g., if you happen to work in the same unit as a Liaison and prefer that Liaison is not informed of your matter), special arrangements can be made to ensure that your case is not shared in any inter-office meetings or debriefs. 

The University Ombud serves as the administrator for the Faculty Liaison Program and is available to discuss your concerns and create a plan that meets your needs and is also responsive to programmatic issues. You can contact the University Ombud via ombuds@uw.edu.

The Secretary of the Faculty has a number of secretarial or clerical responsibilities that are unrelated to the work of the Faculty Liaisons. In addition, the Secretary of the Faculty plays a substantive role in shared governance and is also responsible for the effective functioning of the Faculty Code’s dispute resolution systems. 

Unlike the Secretary of the Faculty, the Faculty Liaisons have no formal role in shared governance or the functioning of the university’s dispute resolution systems (e.g., adjudications under the Faculty Code, Chapter 28). When appropriate, the Faculty Liaisons may consult with the Secretary of the Faculty about these processes or refer you directly to the Secretary of the Faculty.   

While cases may involve both a Faculty Liaisons and an Ombud, the scope and processes of these resources are quite different. Whereas Faculty Liaisons are focused solely on faculty, the Office of the Ombud is a resource to faculty, students, and staff. Further, while Faculty Liaisons are assigned to an individual faculty member, the Office of the Ombud is intended to be a neutral resource, not assigned to an individual or administration, and from this neutral position assists in navigating any issue to do with working at the UW and can engage in a wide array of dispute resolution approaches, including mediation.

Yes, you are still eligible to work with a Faculty Liaison even if you have retained an attorney. However, when university rules and regulations allow a faculty member to be accompanied in a meeting, the faculty member may be limited to choosing one person.