The Ombuds Blog: Samuel Merritt University Opens Ombuds Office

October 09, 2013

Samuel Merritt University Opens Ombuds Office

The health sciences university in Oakland, California has appointed Conchita Franco Serri to be its first Ombuds. Serri will serve about 2,000 faculty, staff, administrators, and students on a part-time basis. According to a new website for the office, Serri will be practicing to IOA standards of confidentiality, neutrality, independence and informality.

Serri earned an MA in Education from Harvard and a JD from Boston College Law School. She has worked for several other academic institutions including Pomona College, Stanford University Medical Center and Santa Clara University. She also is an external consultant amd provides executive coaching services to executives serving on boards and to management in not-for-profit institutions. (SMU Ombuds.)

Related post: Pomona College Creates New Ombuds Office; Job Posting.

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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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October 09, 2013

Samuel Merritt University Opens Ombuds Office

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