Roy Baroff

Jun 29, 2016

Microaggressions – can we shift the landscape to microaffirmations?

This spring I’ve attended several programs on “Microagressions” in academia and wanted to share a couple aspects for your consideration. I suggest this topic is important as we seek to build a more collegial environment and based on the concerns that faculty members bring to the NC State Faculty Ombuds Office. First, what is a microagression?…

May 31, 2016

Apology Research – How to do it Well !

  Have you ever offered an apology that fell flat?  That made someone madder?  Well, it turns out there are specific components to an effective apology.  These are the findings of a recently published article on an “apology” research project in the journal Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, Vol. 9, No. 2 (May 2016). The result – there…

May 23, 2016

Marketing Plan – Communications Students Lead the Way

NC State is the “Think and Do” university (among other things) and for this semester I’ve been doing just that with four students in the Communications Department.  I was invited by Professor Jessica Jamison to work with students in her Public Relations class and for the NC State Faculty Ombuds Office to serve as a client organization…

May 4, 2016

Canada Ombuds Promote the Fairness Triangle

  As previously posted, I attended the International Ombudsman Association Annual meeting last month and wanted to share the Canadian understanding of Fairness. A panel of four Canadian Ombuds shared the stage and noted that as government ombuds, each had a mission to promote fairness for citizens served. As a result, the concept of the…

Apr 25, 2016

International Ombudsman Association Annual Conference 2016

I attended and presented at the IOA 2016 conference a couple of weeks ago in Seattle with over 400 attendees. There were several excellent keynote speeches including one by noted conflict resolution field author Bernie Mayer. Mayer explained that dealing with conflict is all about dealing with paradox. His recent book – The Conflict Paradox –…

Mar 8, 2016

Go Far Together

  I recently heard an interview of Cory Booker, Senator from New Jersey.  He was asked about the divisiveness in Washington and about how he worked with Governor Christie when Booker was mayor of Newark. Booker explained that even when you had significant differences, it was still important to make connections and build relationships. He…

Jan 15, 2016

Coming to a Meeting in Your Galaxy !

First, a Happy 2016 to all at NC State University!  And, now that we’ve enjoyed a fine holiday season, it’s time to get moving in the new year!  With that in mind, I’m reviewing where I’ve been and where I still need to go. In the last year, I’ve introduced the NC State Faculty Ombuds Office in some…

Dec 8, 2015

One Year at NC State

Last Tuesday, December 1st, marked one year at NC State for its Faculty Ombuds – Roy Baroff. I’ve received strong support from across the university community (of that I’m truly thankful) and also seek to continue building the office. Its been quite a year and let me share a few reflections. Early on, with the help of…