MSU’s second Ombudsperson, Carolyn Stieber, was hired at MSU in 1956.  She was the first, and only, woman faculty member in the Department of Political Science for the next ten years.  In 1974 she was appointed Ombudsperson, a post she held for 17 years.  In addition to the impact she made to approximately 1000 students per year, she helped raise awareness about campus issues ranging from grading to housing to sexism in the classroom.  Stieber was also a founder of the National University and College Ombudsman Association, and was active in international ombudsman organizations.  Stieber retired from MSU in 1991.

Joy Curtis became the University's third Ombudsperson in 1991, following Stieber's retirement.  Curtis spent many years as a professor in the College of Nursing.  She was very involved in teaching Study Abroad programs in London, where she collaborated with the Royal College of Nursing.  In addition to her teaching duties, she also had extensive experience working with students during her fourteen years as the Director of Student Affairs for the College of Nursing.  Curtis retired from the University in 1999.

Stan Soffin joined the MSU School of Journalism in 1968 and became its director in 1982.  He was appointed as the University's fourth Ombudsperson in 1998.  As a professor of journalism, his research interests included free speech and the issues of balance and fairness of the press.  As the University Ombudsperson, he helped transform the ways students communicated with his office by establishing a robust online presence.  By 2007, the number of student contacts with the office had more than tripled since the 1960s.  Dr. Soffin retired from MSU in 2011.

Dr. Sandra Harley was appointed the Assistant Ombudsperson in March 2004.  Prior to this Harley served as assistant dean for academic affairs at Davenport College in Lansing and various administrative roles at Lansing Community College.  After Stan Soffin’s retirement in the summer of 2011, Harley served as the Interim University Ombudsperson in the Fall Semester of 2011 until a successor was appointed.  Dr. Harley left the University in December 2011.

Robert Caldwell was appointed as the University's fifth Ombudsperson in January 2012, following a long tenure at MSU in the Department of Psychology.  Over the years, he demonstrated a commitment to the students on campus and earned wide respect across the campus community.  In addition to researching and teaching in the field of child abuse prevention, he served as an associate dean for graduate studies and a senior advisor to the dean in the College of Social Science. 
Caldwell noted that students still have many similar problems as they did when the Office of the Ombudsperson was created 50 years ago; but today they are more aware and willing to reach out for help.  During the 2016-2017 academic year, the Ombudsperson's website (ombud.msu.edu) received over 73,000 visits. 

Dr. Shannon Lynn Burton, Associate Ombudsperson, joined the Office of the Ombudsperson part-time in April 2012.  She previously served the University through teaching and academic advising.  Burton serves the broader ombuds community through her work on various groups within the International Ombudsman Association including as one of the inaugural co-chairs of the Research and Assessment Committee and as co-editor of the Journal for The International Ombuds Association.  She also serves MSU jointly as the University's Research Integrity Coordinator.  Burton is a member of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Dispute Resolution Section Ombuds Committee.

Today, as the Office of the Ombudsperson celebrates its 50th anniversary, it continues its important mission to help students resolve conflicts with the University in a neutral, confidential, informal, and independent manner.

Exhibit created by Whitney Miller and Megan Badgley Malone.