Dear SCU Family,

Last September, we announced that Santa Clara would be hiring an ombuds to develop and implement a neutral, independent, informal, and confidential ombuds program for faculty and staff.

Today, we are very pleased to announce that David Galan has joined the Santa Clara community effective May 9 as the inaugural University Ombuds. David comes to us with more than five years of mediation and dispute resolution experience, having served in the Santa Clara County Office of Mediation and Ombuds Services. He also has served as a lecturer in the San Jose State University Department of Communication Studies since 2016.

David received bachelor's and master's degrees in communication studies from San Jose State University.
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At SCU, his responsibilities will include acting as a neutral, independent, informal, and confidential resource for Santa Clara University faculty and staff who are seeking assistance to resolve questions and concerns affecting their relations with peers or the institution. A big part of David's role includes advancing fundamental fairness and working to foster an education and working climate wherein individuals are treated equitably and with dignity and respect. In addition, David will practice in line with the International Ombuds Association (IOA) standards of practice and code of ethics.

The Office of the Ombuds is part of the Inclusive Excellence Division, reporting to the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and is located organizationally in the Office of the President. The University Ombuds operates independently of all institutional reporting responsibilities.

Please join us in extending a heartfelt welcome to David as he begins his work at SCU. He will be in Loyola Hall across from Human Resources. His email and contact information are as follows:

David Galan
University Ombuds
Office of the Ombuds
102 Loyola Hall
425 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95050
dgalan@scu.edu
408-620-6486

We also want to give a special thank you to all the key stakeholders who participated in the search process, the Ombudsperson Search Committee members, Joanna Thompson, Alison Benders, Kaylen Chase, and search committee co-chair Justin Boren, for their work to help find SCU's first University Ombuds. We also want to thank the SCU Ombuds Task Force and the SCU Chapter of American Association of University Professors for championing these efforts over the years.

Shá Duncan Smith
Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
University Ombuds Search Co-chair

Lisa A. Kloppenberg
Acting President