The Ombuds Blog Top Ten Stories of 2013 -- Part One

Every year, I select the most important stories about the Organizational Ombuds profession.  The list will be posted in three parts with other installments on December 19 and 26.


10. Office Openings Continue to Outpace Closures -- As in the past several years, the number of new Organizational Ombuds programs was far greater than the number that closed.  Notably, the growth was primarily in higher education.  The corporate sector continues to lag.

In 2013, the following entities opened Ombuds offices:

• Grinnell College;
• University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston;
• Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (Hyderabad, India);
• University of Nevada Las Vegas;
• Metropolitan State University of Denver; 
• Alabama A&M University;
• University of Vermont College of Medicine;
• South East European University (Macedonia);
• University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences;
• Riverside Unified School District (California);
• University of Kansas Medical Center; 
• University of California, Davis;
• University of Connecticut; 
• University of Utah;
• University of British Columbia, Okanagan;
• Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis;
• University of North Dakota;
• Mulberry Waldorf School (Kingston, ON);
• Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University; 
• Amtgard;
• Alcorn State University; 
• Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance;
• University of South Alabama;
• Montgomery College (Washington, DC);
• Emory University;
• Dixie State University (Utah); 
• California Association of Realtors;
• Samuel Merritt University (California);
• Western Carolina University;
• Oklahoma State University; 
• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile;
• Loyola University New Orleans; and
• Touro College and University System.

And only two closures noted:

• University of South Florida; and
• Marathon Oil.

9.  ENOHE Marks Decennial of Supporting University Ombuds in Europe -- In June, the European Network of Ombudsmen in Higher Education published a look back at its first decade.  In addition to articles that trace the beginnings of the growing group, a recent survey provides a snapshot of of academic Ombuds in Europe.  This has become an important professional group for development and professional support in Europe.

8.  American Public Media's "Marketplace" Features Ombuds -- In September, the national daily business news program highlighted the work of Organizational Ombuds.  The segment included interviews with Tim Shore, the Ombuds at Pfizer, Anamaris Cousins Price, an Ombuds at Halliburton and President of the International Ombudsman Association, and Chuck Howard, a lawyer and author of the book, "The Organizational Ombudsman: Origins, Roles, and Operations – A Legal Guide."


In Memoriam -- Several notable Ombuds passed away in 2013, including:  

• Lois Price Spratlen, the former University of Washington Ombudsman;  
• Ron Wilson, the former University of California Irvine Ombuds; and 
• Lee Thornton, the University of Maryland Ombuds.  

Their contributions to the field and to their organizations were invaluable, and they will be missed.

Notable Retirements -- This year also saw the retirement of many prominent Ombuds, including:

• Samuel Wright, Student Ombudsman at the University of South Florida;
• Susan Neff, University Ombudsman at the University of Washington;  
• Nancy E. James, Associate Director and Ombudsperson at the University of California, San Diego;
• Gregory Peoples, Ombudsman at Eastern Michigan University; 
• Jack Rall, Faculty Ombudsman at the Ohio State University; 
• Marsha Wagner, Ombuds Officer at Columbia University;
• Mary Chavez Rudolph, Ombuds at the University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz; and
• Amos Morale, Ombudsman, Marathon Oil Company.

Related posts: The Ombuds Decade in Review; The Ombuds Year in Review: 2010;  The Ombuds Year in Review: 2011 (Part I); The Ombuds Year in Review: 2011 (Part II);  The Ombuds Year in Review: 2011 (Part III); The Ombuds Year in Review: 2012 (Nos. 8-10); The Ombuds Year in Review: 2012 (Nos. 4-7); The Ombuds Year in Review: 2012 (Nos. 1-3).