Colleges proceed on the principle of collegiality

The front page of the first issue of UCC's new staff newsletter, CommuniquΘ, is largely devoted to the appointment of a staff ombudsman.

The bottom left-hand corner of page two is home to a short legal statement: "The university is pleased to advise that Professor Mary Howard, the professor of German, has settled her High Court action against the university. University College Cork will support the professor and members of staff of the Department of German in the performance of their duties."

Coincidence? Maybe. The new ombudsman, Professor Seβn ╙ Coilleβin, declines to comment, saying that the terms of the settlement included confidentiality.

However, in his CommuniquΘ interview, he states that if the independent staff ombudsman were to ward off one High Court case in 100 years, the job would pay for itself. To EL, he explains that with a larger staff and student body (UCC now has 13,000 students and more than 2,000 staff), the traditional "custom and practice" method of solving grievances needed to be augmented by formal procedures.

"In the past couple of years, under Dr Wrixon's presidency, we have got those procedures. This follows a period where such procedures did not exist. So, there will be something of a queue. There are going to be grievances that have been outstanding."

╙ Coilleβin took up his new position on July 1st. A member of the college staff for 30 years, and a member of the governing body for almost half that time, he will continue in his role of Professor of Modern Irish. The new appointment, which was agreed by UCC management and unions, will take up about one day a week, and comes with a renumeration package of £3,000 per annum.

So, it wasn't exactly a tempting financial prospect. ╙ Coilleβin sees it as a matter of public service.

"The difference between a university and other places of employment is the principle of collegiality, which means, in effect, that the staff, and, in particular, the academic staff, are the college. The president or the governing body does not control the staff. The university exists for its academic purpose: to teach and for research. The staff exists to serve this purpose. There has traditionally been this centrality of staff. For a long time, and still, to some extent, that in itself was sufficient.

Custom and practice is still very important. Nonetheless, there also comes a time when certain things need to be defined. There is a need to state what was previously understood. Perhaps, there is a sense that a university is now becoming, more or less, a place of work, rather than a university in the old style.

"We have to ensure that people's rights and entitlements are clearly set out. In most cases, things can proceed as before. There is no need to look to the written word. But it is important that if we need to look to it, the written word is there."

He says the function of the institution is to make sure that people can attain their potential to the fullest extent possible and that nothing would exist to stop them. "I know that sounds utopian and probably wouldn't happen in other places of employment, but I do believe the university is the nearest one has to a utopian situation.

"I think people working in universities are extremely lucky. And I'm not talking about guaranteed employment," he says, somewhat dryly. "Academics have freedom of thought and expression and they are not restricted in any way. I think that's an extraordinary privilege to have.

"But, when you have 15,000 people occupying a small physical space, there is always the potential for difficulties to arise. I think it's extraordinary that there are so few cases. I can't ever remember a student taking the college to court and it's very rare indeed with staff members. I think most corporations would be happy with the level of student and staff relations here."

His primary objectives are to try and prevent disputes reaching an advanced stage. Under the college's grievance procedure, a staff member's first recourse is to his or her department head. If the head of department does not accept the grievance, the employee may, within 15 days of the head of department's decision, refer the grievance to the ombudsman.

The ombudsman can request information or other materials and may also request any person whom he feels could assist the inquiries to attend at meetings. The ombudsman must issue a recommendation within 20 days of notification of the grievance.

"The power of the ombudsman lies in the prestige of the office. Staff confidence is vital. The independent staff ombudsman does not have the authority to take disciplinary action, overturn decisions or override regulations," he says. If the decision of the ombudsman is not accepted, then the matter is referred to the director of human resources.

╙ Coilleβin's term of office as ombudsman lasts three years. If the venture is successful, and only time will tell, other colleges may very well follow UCC's example.