Job Posting: U.S. Department of State

The State Department is hiring a Human Resource Specialist to work in the newly-created Office of Ombudsman, Office of the Secretary. The position serves as a subject matter expert in conflict resolution, using a range of ADR techniques to conflict resolution processes to State Department employees.

Job Posting: Oklahoma State University

The public university in Stillwater is hiring a part-time Ombudsperson. The position will serve faculty, staff, administrators, and students. (The student population alone is nearly 24,000.)  The Ombuds will report directly to the President and/or Provost and practice to IOA standards.

AllianceBernstein Ombuds Posts Annual Report and Video

In her "2011 Report to Employees from Your Ombudsman," Sana Manjeshwar reports that she met with 68 individuals in the past year, nearly 2% of all employees.  The cases presented 212 issues, the majority of which related to personnel and management, and job and career issues.  

University of Denver Hosts Panel of Ombuds

On October 25, 2012, the DU’s Conflict Resolution Institute presented a forum on the Ombuds profession.  The three panelists were Denver Unviversity’s own Ombuds Jenna Brown, University of  Colorado- Denver Ombuds Mary Rudolph Chavez, and Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman Rebecca Updike.   The speakers  discussed issues of conflict resolution, justice, advocacy, systems reform, and change-management in large agencies and organizations.

MEOR Foundation Creates Ombuds Program

The Jewish nonprofit with student organizations at leading U.S. universities has established an Ombuds program to provide confidential, neutral assistance to students, educators and administrators. Rabbi Yosef Lynn has been appointed as the first Ombudsman and will report directly to the chairman of the board and the president of MEOR.

Grinnell College Appoints First Ombuds

The private, liberal arts college in Iowa has selected Chinyere Ukabiala as its first Ombudsperson. Ukabiala will report directly to the President and serve the College's students, faculty and staff beginning February 1, 2013.

North Dakota State University Revives Consideration of Ombuds

At its December meeting, the Faculty Senate at the land grant university in Fargo took up consideration of an Ombuds Office that would serve faculty, staff and graduate students.  The proposal would create a Ombuds position that reports to the University President for a two-year term.  The NDSU senate last considered an Ombuds program in 2007 after the Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted its lack of female tenured faculty.

The Ombuds Year in Review: 2012 (Nos. 1-3)

The top three news items about Organizational Ombuds stories 2012 are...

[drumroll, please]

Internship: National Institutes of Health

The NIH Office of the Ombudsman / Center for Cooperative Resolution in Bethesda, MD is offering a full-time internship for the Summer of 2013. (Exact start and end dates are negotiable.) 

Meet Southwest Florida Water Management District's New Ombuds

Ross Morton was appointed as SWFWMD’s Ombudsman in January, but the website was updated only recently. As the Ombuds for the agency that manages the water supply, quality and the natural systems in west-central Florida, Morton independently assist the public by practicing to IOA standards.

The Ombuds Year in Review: 2012 (Nos. 4-7)

Part two of the top ten Organizational Ombuds stories of 2012. 

The list will conclude on Wednesday, December 20, with the top three stories.

Job Posting: Samuel Merritt University

The health sciences university in Oakland, California is hiring its first Ombuds. The part-time Ombudsperson will serve about 2,000 faculty, staff, administrators, and students. The position will operate according to IOA and Standards of Practice of Independence, Neutrality, Impartiality, and Confidentiality.

Job Posting: Cal State San Marcos

The California State University campus north of San Diego is hiring an Associate Vice President for Diversity, Educational Equity and Ombudsperson. The position description does not apportion time between the two different (and some might say conflicting) areas of responsibility. The Ombuds work generally follows IOA standards with significant exceptions to confidentiality in situations involving "violations of law, discrimination, or sexual harassment."

The Ombuds Year in Review: 2012 (Nos. 8-10)

The Organizational Ombuds profession and individual practitioners enjoyed a good year.   The top ten stories of 2012 show that the profession continued to improve and expand. The list will be posted in three installments: today, December 18 and December 20.

Hospital Executive Explains the Benefits of an Employee Ombuds

Jay Kuhns is Vice President of Human Resources at All Children's Hospital and Health System in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida. In his latest post at the "No Excuses HR Blog," Kuhns writes about the Employee Ombudsman for his organization and wonders why it isn't more prevalent in health care.

District of Columbia May Restore Schools Ombuds

The DC Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education, which rose and fell with the political fortunes of former mayor Adrian Fenty, might be reopened. Last week, the DC Council tentatively approved a measure that would restore funding for the Ombuds and move it to the State Board of Education.

Job Posting: Seattle University

The private Jesuit university in Washington State is hiring a part-time Faculty Ombudsperson (40% FTE). The new position will report to the Chief Financial Officer and serve as a neutral, confidential and informal resource for the university’s faculty. The Ombuds will be expected to practice to IOA Standards.

Appalachian State University Creates Ombuds Office

The public university in Boone, North Carolina has appointed Professor Jim Barnes to serve as its first University Ombudsman. In a campus announcement, ASU Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Gonzalez said, "The Office of the Ombud will provide all members of the Appalachian community with a neutral, impartial and confidential environment to discuss individual concerns of faculty, staff and students."

ACCUO Sets 2013 Midyear Meeting

The Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons will hold its eastern midyear meeting at the Lord Elgin Hotel in Ottawa on February 7-8, 2013. The meeting will feature a speaker on Human Rights and the opportunity to ice skate at Winterlude. Organizers are still soliciting topic suggestions. (ACCUO Meetings.)

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Publishes First Ombuds Report

Wendy Kamenshine, the CFPB Ombudsman, has released a report describing the work of her office since it opened in last December. In the report, Kamenshine summarizes the creation of the office, the systemic issues identified during the year, and plans for next year.  According to the report, the CFPB Ombuds received 775 individual inquiries during the 2012 fiscal year, with the vast majority coming from consumers raising “questions or issues regarding the processes, services, products or entities under the CFPB’s jurisdiction.”

University of the Andes Appoints First Ombuds

The Board of Universidad de los Andes has appointed Margarita Gómez Ordoñez to serve as its first Ombudsperson for two years, effective January 14, 2013. The Ombuds will serve about 17,000 students and other stakeholders at the nonsectarian private university in Bogotá, Colombia.  According to an announcement from the University, the Ombuds will be a neutral resource that will complement existing university programs, and will have the power to recommend the review or creation of new policies.