Dear Colleagues:Our campus has had the benefit of having two campus Ombudspersons who work with anyone on the campus who has concerns about some aspect of their interactions with the university. The principles under which they work are: Independence, Neutrality, Confidentiality, and Informality. You can learn more about our Ombudspersons by visiting this web site: http://www.humboldt.edu/ombuds/Over the last several years, we have had several excellent faculty members who have served as Ombudspersons. During the last year, Professors Nancy Hurlbut, Department of Child Development, and Michael Bruner, Department of Communication, were our Ombudspersons. Both have done an excellent job for us and helped many faculty, staff, and students deal with issues that were troubling them. These are not easy jobs. Each concern brought to them requires individual attention and must be kept confidential while they try to help the individual. The goal is to empower individuals, to facilitate informal problem-solving, and to resolve issues constructively rather than entering into long and costly formal disputes. Please join me in thanking Professors Hurlbut and Bruner for their work on our behalf. Looking to the future, Professor Laura Hahn, Department of Communication has accepted an appointment as the second Ombudsperson. Professor Bruner will continue to serve through August 2014. -Rollin Richmond, President