Ombuds Serves Students at the University of Portugal

Since 2010, Fernando Nunes Ferreira, has been Student Ombudsman for the Universidade do Porto ("U.Porto"), the largest Portuguese public university with about 31,000 students. According to an English language webpage that went live last week, "The Student Ombudsman is appointed by the UPorto General Board and is responsible for establishing dialogue between the students and the teachers, administrative staff and management bodies and for mediating in an independent, impartial and confidential way in any disputes." 


Nunes Ferreira is a Professor of Engineering in the Department of Computer Engineering and has been a member of with U.Port's faculty since 1972. In addition to teaching, he has held a variety of administrative position, including Department Chair and Director Computer Center. As the Ombuds, he handles about 100 cases per year. (U.Porto Student Ombudsman, U.Porto News.)