Concordia Ombuds Office Celebrates 35 Years

The Ombuds Office at Concordia University was celebrated at a reception last week marking 35 years of service.  The Ombuds Office at Concordia was established in 1978 when the programs at predecessor institutions merged.  

The event was attended by any current and former Ombuds from local organizations, including Pascale Descary from the Université de Montréal, Muriel Binette from l’UQÀM, Carmela Parzanese and Spencer Boudreau from McGill University, Hélène Letellier from l’École Polytechnique de Montréal, Frances Bauer from Western University and Justine Sentenne, who was the first ombudsperson for employees at Hydro Québec.  In a speech,  former Ombuds Suzanne Belson pointed out that Concordia was among the first universities in Canada to have an ombudsperson. “Our Terms of Reference became a model for many other universities. Concordia set the stage for the office to be a leader and an innovator in the field, not only in Canada, but in North America and overseas.”

An article about the event also notes that Concordia's Ombudsperson Kristen Robillard handled 547 cases in the the 2012-13 academic year, with more than 80% coming from students. 

Related posts:   Concordia University Marks 40-Year Anniversary of Riots that Lead to Ombuds Office;Concordia University Ombuds Office Posts Report for 2009-10; Concordia University Ombuds Welcomes Back Students; Concordia University Ombuds Posts 2010-11 Report; Concordia University Ombuds Publishes 2012 Report.