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Date: April 1, 1998
Anu Rao to Become Ombuds Officer at Princeton University
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Anu Rao will become Princeton University's ombuds officer, effective July 1. Currently an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at Bryn Mawr, Rao will devote two days a week to Princeton's Ombuds Office as she completes her academic appointment this semester.
Rao served as interim ombuds officer at Princeton from June through December 1997. She had served as director of training and organizational development at Princeton from 1988 to 1992.
"We received excellent feedback about Anu Rao's service as interim ombuds officer," said Associate Provost Joann Mitchell, who, with Associate Provost S. Georgia Nugent, led the search committee. "Her deep knowledge of the campus community and her sensitivity to the issues she encountered here made her an exceptionally strong candidate for the permanent appointment. We are pleased that she will return to the University."
The ombuds officer works to assure that the campus climate is fair and equitable for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. She oversees the dispute resolution process for administrative and support staff. She monitors the University's racial and ethnic harassment guidelines and coordinates a network of advisors who provide information and referrals to campus resources to address questions regarding harassment. She advises faculty, staff and students about mediation and conflict resolution.
Rao holds a bachelor's of science degree (1970) and a master's in social work (1972) from Bangalore University in India, as well as a second master's in social work (1978) and a doctorate in city and regional planning (focusing on organizational behavior, planning and social policy, 1996) from the University of Pennsylvania. Before coming to Princeton in 1988, she held joint appointments as director of social services at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Dental Medicine and as director of child welfare at Penn's School of Social Work; she also served as director of the faculty and staff assistance program and director of the Center for Workplace Studies at Penn. She then worked as director of staffing, training and organizational development at the University of Pennsylvania Health System before completing her PhD and assuming her current appointment at Bryn Mawr.
"I'm very happy to return to Princeton," said Rao. "I believe that I understand the challenges of the Ombuds Office, and I look forward to working with many of my long-term colleagues and friends -- and to meeting new colleagues and friends -- in this role."