The Ombuds Blog: John Wanjala: First Ombuds at Portland State University

July 27, 2011

John Wanjala: First Ombuds at Portland State University

A memorial service to honor John Wanjala is set for this Sunday on the campus of Portland State University. Wanjala founded PSU's Ombuds Office in 1993 after previously serving as chief of Campus Public Safety. He retired in 2009 and returned to Kenya, his homeland, where he died of cancer in April. (PSU Vanguard.)

1 comment:

Reese7/28/2011 8:45 AM
One of the people I looked forward to seeing at the annual California Caucus of University and College Ombuds in Asilomar was John. I think it was 2008 that I last some him. It was always a treat just conversing with him. A quiet - yet powerful - man. May friends and family find comfort in memories of him.
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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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