December 30, 2015

The 2015 Ombuds Blog Annual Top Ten List, Part IV


The fifth annual survey of the top Organizational Ombuds stories concludes with the final three entries.


December 29, 2015

Journal of Academic Medicine: "Three-Year Experience of an Academic Medical Center Ombuds Office"

An article in the current issue of Academic Medicine describes the rationale, costs, and potential advantages of creating a medical school Ombuds Office. The article was written by John Raymond Sr., President and CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin, and Peter Layde, the College's Ombuds. 

University of Hawai'i Chancellor to Hire Ombuds 'Soon'

UH Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman told the campus newspaper that he hopes to have an Ombuds appointed within a month, though he would be disappointed if it didn’t happen by the end of the school year. The announcement responds to growing support for re-establishing the Ombuds Office that closed in 2009 after being open just three years. 

December 28, 2015

Job Posting: U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command

The U.S. Department of Defense intelligence enterprise system is hiring a civilian employee to serve as the Ombudsman for the National Ground Intelligence Center in Charlottesville, VA for a two-year term. "The incumbent functions independently as an organizational Ombudsman, and as an impartial and confidential resource, facilitator,

Job Posting: United Nations, Uganda

The United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is hiring a Regional Ombudsman based in Entebbe.  The position will manage the office, which provides conflict resolution services to resolve workplace concerns for staff in the area.

December 23, 2015

National Institutes of Health Ombuds to Retire; Interim Successor Named

Howard Gadlin, one of the preeminent Organizational Ombuds, will retire next week.  An announcement from NIH’s principal deputy director made official what has been known to insiders for several months.  The email from Larry Tabak does a good job summarizing Gadlin's significant legacy:

December 22, 2015

The 2015 Ombuds Blog Annual Top Ten List, Part III



The fifth annual survey of the top Organizational Ombuds stories continues with entries six through four.



December 21, 2015

Louisiana State University to Reopen Ombuds Office

LSU has announced that it will conduct a national search next spring to hire an Ombudsperson.  The goal is to reopen the program in the summer of 2016.  The office, which was established by Kirstin Schwehm in 2006, was shuttered in early 2011.  According to a short announcement, the effort to revive the Ombuds Office was prompted by requests from the LSU Staff and Faculty Senates. No other details regarding the position or search have been announced.  (LSU Academic Affairs News.)

First Student Ombuds at North Carolina State University to Retire

Roger Callanan, who lead the drive to establish the Student Ombuds Services office at NC State, and then served as Student Ombuds during the program’s first year, will retire on January 1, 2016. According to his first annual report, Callanan met with 550 individual students in the 2014-15 academic year. 

December 18, 2015

University of Colorado Hires an Experienced Ombuds

Kirsi Aulin has been named as the next Director of the Ombuds Office at CU-Boulder.  For the past three and a half years, Aulin has been the Campus Ombuds for the University of California in Santa Barbara and was an Associate Ombuds for five years before that.  Aulin starts in January 2016 and will need to hire an Associate Ombuds and support staff member.  

December 17, 2015

Meet the New Ombuds at Karolinska Institutet

A new website introduces John HÄkansson and Nazira Hammoud Shahwan, the Student Ombuds for Medicinska Föreningen, the largest student union at the medical university in Stockholm: Karolinska Institutet.

IOA Opens Elections for 2016 Board



The International Ombudsman Association has announced the slate of candidates for Board of Directors with terms starting in April 2016. The election will fill three seats from a slate of four nominees. 

December 16, 2015

The 2015 Ombuds Blog Annual Top Ten List, Part II



The fifth annual survey of the top Organizational Ombuds stories continues with entries nine through seven.




December 14, 2015

Job Posting: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

The large integrated health provider system (which is closely affiliated with, but legally separate from, the University of Pittsburgh) is hiring its first Graduate Medical Education Ombudsman. 

December 11, 2015

Job Posting: Oberlin College

As expected, the private liberal arts college in Ohio has opened a search for its next Ombuds. The full-time position (with "significant commitments on nights and weekends"!) reports to the Office of the President and serves students, faculty and staff -- a population of almost 5,000.

University of Calgary Appoints Ombuds

UCalgary has appointed Kevin Wiens to serve as its Student Ombuds. Previously, Weins was an Undergraduate Admissions officer.


Noted: Nova Scotia Ombuds Fends Off Police Demand for Records

The Nova Scotia Office of the Ombudsman (a classical and federally established Ombuds program that receives complaints about municipal and provincial governing bodies) recently convinced a provincial court judge to protect documents sought by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 

December 09, 2015

The 2015 Ombuds Blog Annual Top Ten List, Part I

This is the fifth annual survey of the top Organizational Ombuds stories.  A list of the most important news from 2015 will come in installments over the next three weeks.  Before getting to the list, there are a few notable items that didn't make the list:

December 08, 2015

Cal Caucus Publishes 2015 Journal

The third on-line edition journal from the California Caucus of College and University Ombuds features articles by Tom Sebok, looking back on his 25-year Ombuds career, and by Dusty Farnard, who ran into problems opening an Ombuds office at a large university.

December 04, 2015

Network of German University Complaint Handlers and Ombuds Launches Website

BeVeOm, a network of Complaint Managers and Ombudsmen at German universities, has created a website to promote its work and serve its members. The network, which has been meeting since at least 2010, has adopted four fundamental principles for the work of its members: Independence (autonomy within the institution); Confidentiality (visitors and issues are handled confidentialy); Neutrality (matters are treated neutrally, solution-oriented, and open-ended); and Appreciation (respect for persons and their concerns). 

December 02, 2015

Brandeis University to Create Ombuds Office

In response to student protests regarding diversity on campus, the private university in Massachusetts has agreed to appoint a campus Ombudsperson. Students occupied the school's administration building for nearly two weeks and had issued a list of 13 demands seeking to address the unfair treatment of minorities in higher education. The ninth item demanded by the Brandeis students was for an Office of Ombuds. On Tuesday, Interim President Lisa M. Lynch, released a letter detailing measures the students found acceptable. 

Northern Ireland Assembly Debates Gender Neutrality of 'Ombudsman'

Earlier this week, Members of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland debated whether the new commissioner for complaints should be called an ‘Ombudsman’ or an ‘Ombudsperson’ – and have even commissioned research on the origin of the words themselves. The committee sponsoring the bill had proposed 'Ombudsperson,' but The Ombudsman Association wrote to the MLA's to express concern that a change from 'Ombudsman,' which is commonly used throughout the UK, would be confusing in Northern Ireland.

Job Re-Posting: San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

The American Indian tribe in California's Inland Empire continues its search for an Ombudsman. The full-time position is located in Highland and serve the tribe's 3,500 employees, most of whom work in a casino. 

Ombuds at University of Oregon Clarifies Reasons for Departure

In an open letter, UO's first Ombuds Bruce MacAllister explains why he is stepping down after two years.  In addition, offers suggestions for what should be done next to maintain and strengthen the Ombuds program: adopt a charter and take as much care hiring his successor as hiring general counsel.