Meet Boston University's Ombuds

A new YouTube video offers a profile of BU's Ombudsperson, Francine Montemurro.   The two-minute video introduces the Ombuds role by identifying the kinds of issues that people bring.  It's professional without being slick.  (YouTube.)

ANZOA Sets Fourth Biennial Conference

The 2014 Biennial Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association will be held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington on April 30 through May 2, 2014.

University of California President Endorses Ombuds Offices

UC President Janet Napolitano says every campus in the sprawling 10-campus system should have an Ombuds program. Napolitano's statement came in response to an independent investigation and recommendation by former California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno into allegations of bias and discrimination by faculty at UCLA. Napolitano directed all of the UC campus chancellors to implement a range of measures to monitor and address bias and discrimination.

Radio Interview With Columbia Ombuds Faculty

Earlier this month, Beth Fisher-Yoshida, interviewed John Zinsser on WKCR in New York. The interview was part of with the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity. Zinsser is an instructor at the negotiation and conflict resolution masters program at Columbia University. 

IOA Opens Election for 2014 Board of Directors

The International Ombudsman Association has announced the slate of candidates for Board of Directors terms starting in April 2014. As it has in the past, the Ombuds Blog provides links to public information about the candidates to supplement the official ballot statements.

Ombuds Training to be Offered in Denver

The International Ombudsman Association will offer several training programs before its annual conference in Denver, April 4-6, 2014.  The courses include fundamental training for new Ombuds to shorter, specialized courses for experienced practitioners.

American Bar Association 2014 ADR Conference Includes Two Sessions About Ombuds

The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution’s Sixteenth Annual Spring Conference will be held in Miami, Florida April 2-5, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency. This year, the largest educational gathering for the dispute resolution field includes two sessions about Ombuds.

Texas A&M Appoints Faculty Ombuds

A new website for the Texas A&M Faculty Ombuds says that Clare Gill was appointed to the position in September 2013.  Gill is a professor of animal genomics and a member of the interdisciplinary programs in genetics and biotechnology.  A message from the Provost says that, "Dr. Gill’s primary responsibilities will be to raise and clarify issues and concerns, identify options and request assistance to informally resolve workplace conflicts."

European Network of Ombudsmen in Higher Education Calls for Papers

The ENOHE Conference Planning Committee has issued a call for papers to be delivered at its 11th Annual Conference to be held at the University of Warsaw, May 15-17, 2014. The conference, “Higher Education Ombudsmen and Empowerment,” will highlight three themes: empowering students; empowering universities; and empowering Ombuds. Potential contributors must submit a synopsis of less than 300 words by February 28, 2014.  (ENOHE 2014 Call for Papers.)

Pan American Health Organization Announces New Ombuds

The UN-affiliated international public health agency has named Dolores Gómez-Morán to serve as its next Ombudsman for an initial two-year appointment. She will work with PAHO employees in countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. 

IOA Posts Agenda for 2014 Conference in Denver

Registration is now open for the International Ombudsman Association's Ninth Annual Conference at the Sheraton Denver Downtown April 4-9, 2014.  The priority registration closes on March 14 and the hotel group discount deadline is March 15.  

African Ombudsman and Mediators Association to Hold Summit

The African Ombudsman Research Centre (AORC) will host the AOMA African Ombudsman Summit February 25-26, 2014 in Johannesburg. The conference, “Strengthening Good Governance in Africa through the Role of the Ombudsman” aims to explore the contributions of Ombuds institutions to peace and stability on the continent. It will also provide a platform to engage on strengthening the concept of Ombudsmanship in Africa. (AOMA, via IOI.)

Job Posting: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The private research university in Cambridge has opened a search for its next Ombudsperson. Reporting to the President, the MIT Ombuds serves as a resource for all members of the diverse MIT community, including faculty, staff, postdocs, and students -- a total population of nearly 35,000.  

Florida International University Appoints Ombuds

The public university in Miami has named Tony Delgado as the new University Ombudsman and Assistant Dean of Students. Delgado, who previously was the Director of Student Life at Miami Dade College, replaces Larry Lunsford, who served as the Ombuds for the past nine years.

Gallaudet University Reopens Ombuds Search Internally

The school in Washington, D.C. has re-posted its search for a University Ombuds. In June, the position was open to experienced applicants, which an advanced degree and ASL fluency.  The revised posting requires slightly less experience, but is open only to regular status Gallaudet employees.

ENOHE Debuts Website and Membership Plan

The European Network of Ombudsmen in Higher Education unveiled a new website (and domain name) with information about the decade-old organization.  The site includes a welcome from Josef Leidenfrost, ENOHE's President and Convenor, historical facts, and upcoming events.  

Poll Results: 2013 Ombuds Story of the Year

Readers weighed in on what they thought was the top story about Organizational Ombuds last year.  They disagreed with me about the order and thought my #10 story should have been #1.

International Ombudsman Institute Publishes 2012-13 Annual Report

The IOI's report is dominated by news from its 11th World Conference in New Zealand. The Institute implemented by-law changes adopted by the membership at the conference which clarified and revised membership criteria. In addition, regional representatives were elected to the IOI Board. 

Penn State Seeking Next Ombuds

The Faculty Senate at the Pennsylvania State University is seeking applications for the position of University Faculty Ombudsperson. The position is for a four-year, renewable term and is open only to current or emeritus faculty members. Deborah F. Atwater, Associate Professor Emerita of Communications Arts and Sciences and African and African American Studies, has served as Penn State's Ombudsperson since July 1, 2010. (Penn State News.)

Job Posting: Kaiser Permanente Oakland

KP is hiring a full-time Health Care Ombuds/Mediator in Oakland, California. The Kaiser HCOM, "functions as a trained alternative dispute professional offering patients, family members, staff & providers a conflict management program to resolve patient/provider healthcare disputes early thereby improving patient safety & reducing the costs of health care dispute resolution."

Wright State University Opens Ombuds Office

The public research university near Dayton, Ohio has appointed Hazel Rountree to head the university’s newly formed Office of Ombuds. She will serve about 20,000 faculty, staff and students. Rountree most recently served as assistant director of affirmative action at Wright State. 

Coalition of Federal Ombuds Welcomes New DHS Ombuds

At its November 2013 meeting, CoFO heard from Reggie McKinney, the new Ombudsman for the Department of Homeland Security National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. He serves about 350 employees, primarily cyber security professionals, within the organization. McKinney said that retention of valuable employees in this highly competitive field, is a challenge and Ombuds services is one way to help with employee satisfaction and agency functioning.