The private women's liberal arts college in New York has opened a search for its first Ombuds Officer. Reporting to the President of the College, the new Ombuds will provide assistance to 3,000 faculty, students, staff, and administrators with internal concerns. The job is part-time (three days a week).
The public research university in Athens has opened an internal search for a part-time Ombudsman. The position serves faculty, staff, and students -- a population of nearly 50,000. The search will fill a position held by Judy Piercy since 2013.
Since October 2014, the Fencing Officials Commission Ombudsmen have served as a resource for referees with concerns and issues about the sport. Derek Cotton is the lead FOC Ombudsman and works with six other Ombuds--all are experienced fencers and referees. Together, they help answer questions, promote the sharing of best practices, and shed light on the work of referees.
On his blog, Roy Baroff, the Faculty Ombuds at NC State, recounts his experience at the International Ombudsman Association's annual conference in Seattle. He notes that Bernie Mayer's keynote speech gave him some ideas to incorporate into his work.
The for-profit, online learning institution that is composed of American Military University and American Public University has opened an Office of the Ombuds for its 100,000 plus students. Lynn Wallace established the position in September 2015 and a website for the new program recently went online. The APU Ombuds explicitly practices to IOA standards.
The International Ombudsman Association will offer a webinar titled, "How to Get the Ombuds Message Out: Aligning Business Needs, Target Audiences and Tracking Progress." The session will be presented by Eric Mayo, Internal Ombuds at Chevron since 2012. The program takes place on Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Central Time and also will be available as a recording.
The Office of the Ombudsman at the State Department is hiring a Program Management Specialist. The incumbent will work as an Ombuds, providing, "subject matter expertise in conflict resolution, utilizing mediation, facilitation, conflict coaching and other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) techniques, as appropriate."Some travel is required and there is an opportunity to telecommute.
The public school district in Southern California has opened a search for its first Ombuds. There are no public details about the position in terms of responsibilities, reporting line, or otherwise. The district enrolls almost 20,000 students and employs about 2,500 teachers and staff.
The United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services has requested a reposting of its search for a a Chief of Service. Stationed in New York City, the position will report to the UN Ombuds, John Barkat, manage the UNOMS office, and serve as an Ombuds.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency that is the primary federal biomedical and health research facility is seeking the next Director of its Center for Cooperative Resolution / Office of the Ombudsman.
In its latest annual report, the International Ombudsman Association says that it significantly advanced its work on strategic objectives, thanks to the work of its management company, Kellen, and its many volunteers.
In a guest post for the blog focused on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Ombuds evangelist John Zinsser explains that, "An ombuds program is a cost effective mechanism to enhance global compliance."
The state's flagship university has opened a search for a full-time Student Ombudsperson. The position reports directly to the Office of the President and will serve as Director of the Office of the Student Ombuds.
The global marketing research firm in New York City has appointed D.A. Graham as its new Vice President of Integrity. Part of his job will be serving as Ombudsman for the company's 40,000 employees in 100 countries. Graham has been an independent consultant for the past six years, providing a range of ADR and conflict management services. During this time he was HR Director and Adjunct at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Barbara Beatty has been named the next Ombudsperson for U of I. Reporting to the University President, she will work with about 15,000 faculty, staff member, administrators, and students. She succeeds Ellen Schreiber, who retired after 17 years.
Today, the last day of the International Ombudsman Annual conference in Seattle, the Board of the Directors announced the election of its new executive council. Notably, the President and a few other officers are returning for second terms, bringing leadership stability to a board that has struggled with turnover in the past.
Here are links to prior Ombuds Blog posts about the International Ombudsman Association's eleventh annual conference, which kicks off Sunday, April 10 at the Westin Seattle:
The weekly, syndicated TV series featured Tom Kosakowski as a guest this week on the topic of dispute resolution. The half-hour talk show is carried on TBN in 450 markets and is also available on the web.
UMKC's Chancellor has announced the approval of a plan to appoint the University's first Staff Ombuds. The Staff Council is currently developing a job description and structure. The campus already has a Faculty Ombudsperson, Nancy E. Day, but there are no plans for a Student Ombuds. (UMKC Info.)
The public university in Halifax announced that it will appoint a full-time Ombudsperson this fall. The move comes in response several recommendations made by a task force investigating the university's handling of a sexual harassment scandal at the dentistry school. According to the announcement, the full-time Ombuds will be independent from student organizations and the university administration and will be overseen by a joint Ombuds Advisory Council.
Following a survey of full-time faculty at the university in Richmond, the Faculty Senate Rights and Responsibilities Committee has recommended the appointment of an an Ombuds. Committee co-chair John Fitch said, “I feel as though an ombuds would help the trust,” of concerned faculty.
According to an announcement from FGCU's General Counsel, the University's Ombuds mandate is being broadened from academic matters to all conflicts regarding the campus. Helen Mamarchev has been the Ombuds for 15,000 students at the public university in Fort Myers since 2010.
The National Bank of Greece Ombudsman’s Office hosted the European Ombudsman-Mediation Meeting in Athens on March 17-18 2016. The meeting brought together Ombuds from across different sectors including supranational organizations (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Health Organization), multinational private sector corporations (Mars Inc., OMV Petrom, NBG Group), consultancy firms (McKinsey & Co) and Ombuds services providers (RCC-Risk Communication Concepts).
