January 18, 2010

Ashford University Opens Ombuds Office

The private, for-profit coeducational liberal arts university owned by Bridgepoint Education has established an Office of the Ombudsman for its campus and online communities. Michael Kilpatrick helped develop the program for Ashford and serves as the Ombuds. Kilpatrick recently earned his Masters degree from the Werner Institute for Negotiation & Dispute Resolution at Creighton Law School. He also received a Masters of Theology at the University of Oxford and a BS Western State University College in San Diego. He is an experienced mediator and has worked as an Ombuds for other entities. (Ashford University Ombuds Office; Werner Institute Newsletter.)

Kilpatrick would seem to be due credit for ensuring the new office conforms to best practices for Organizational Ombuds. Before the program was created, a job posting indicated that the Ashford Ombuds would report to the Vice President of Compliance and would be responsible for investigating student complaints. Now, the Ombuds reports directly to the President of the University and adheres to the IOA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.


Prior post: Non-Conforming Job Postings: Jackson Community College and Ashford University.

No comments:

Post a Comment