Job Posting: Mount Holyoke

Mount Holyoke College has an opening for a part-time (20 hours a week, year-round) Ombudsperson. Reporting directly to the President of the College and practicing to IOA standards, the Ombuds serves as the designated neutral, providing a confidential, impartial, and informal conflict management resource for all members of the Mount Holyoke Community.  

UC San Francisco Promotes from Within to Lead Ombuds Office

UCSF has named Maureen Brodie, CO-OP, as Director of its Office of the Ombuds.  Previously, she was the Associate Director.  Brodie served as the Senior Mediator at UC Davis for several years before joining the UCSF Ombuds Office when it was founded in 2011.  Brodie has helped train over 200 mediators at UC Davis, and other California state agencies through collaboration with the State Personnel Board. 

Ombuds at University of Pennsylvania Reports Caseload Increase in 2015

UPenn Ombudsman Lynn Hollen Lees and Associate Ombudsman Marcia Martínez-Helfman report that their office handled 150 cases in the 2015-16 academic year, a 9.5% increase from the prior year.   The largest number of visitors were University employees (41%). 

Ombuds to Speak at Hitotsubashi University

The top-ranked university in Tokyo will host a symposium, "What the Heck is an Organizational Ombuds?" on November 1, 2016. The speakers will be Nicholas Diehl, the Ombudsperson for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) based in Manila, and Charmhee Kim, the Asia Regional Ombuds for McKinsey & Company based in Osaka, Japan. Hitotsubashi University (一橋大学) is a national university that specializes in social sciences.

National Technical Institute for the Deaf Considers Creating Ombuds Program

According to an email from NTID's President and Dean, the technological college for deaf and hearing impaired students soon will launch a search for its first Ombuds. The move was prompted by a classroom conflict between a student and faculty member that resulted in campus security escorting the student out. NTID President Gerard J. Buckley has promised a number of other steps including the appointment of a Chief Diversity Officer and faculty training on cross-cultural communication.

U.S. Department of Education Rejects IOA's Clery Act Arguments

The International Ombudsman Association has revealed that the Department of Education rebuffed its arguments that University Ombuds should be exempt from the mandatory reporting requirements of campus crime data under the Clery Act.  

Montgomery College Ombuds Reports on 2016 Activities

MC's Ombuds, Julie Schwartz Weber, reports that her office served 115 individual employees in the last fiscal year -- about four percent of the total employee population.  Of those visitors in 2016, 105 were full-time faculty, staff, and administrators.  The total was down about 28% from the prior year, due to lower numbers of chairs and other administrators.  

Georgia State University Conflict Resolution Symposium Will Stream Keynote Speech

The annual conflict resolution symposium hosted by the GSU Office of the Ombudsperson will livestream the keynote address by Chris Crass Friday, October 21, 2016 at 11:00 am Eastern. 

Job Posting: United Nations Development Programme

The United Nations' global development network has opened a search for a Conflict Resolution Consultant.  The position reports to the Office of the Ombudsman for UN Funds and Programmes and provides conflict managment services to staff members and non-staff personnel of the UN Funds and Programmes (including UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNOPS and UN Women).  The position is based in New York City and some travel to field offices is required.  The appointment is for 120 days and starts December 1, 2016, but may be extended up to three years.

Ombuds at the College of William & Mary Hosts Conflict Resolution Day Speaker

In recognition of Conflict Resolution Day 2016, Tatia Granger, the University Ombudsperson at William & Mary, welcomes Wayne Blair, University Ombuds at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for a keynote address, "Conflict Management Across the Academy."  The event will take place on Thursday morning, October 20 and is open to the College's faculty and staff.  

Job Posting: University of California Merced

The UC campus in Northern California is hiring its second Ombuds.  The Assistant Ombudsperson will primary serve the UC Merced student community and provides conflict resolution services on cases of moderate complexity. The position reports to Callale Concon , who became the Campus Ombuds earlier this year.  

Administrative Conference of the U.S. Seeks Comments on Federal Ombuds Study

ACUS is accepting public comments before a committee hearing on the draft recommendations on federal Ombuds programs.  On October 19, 2016 the ACUS Committee on Rulemaking will review the report by chiResolutions, "A Reappraisal - The Nature and Value of Ombudsmen in Federal Agencies."  

Job Posting: American Red Cross

The U.S. humanitarian organization has opened a search for its next Ombudsman. The position (which is no longer titled, 'Corporate Ombudsman') will oversee and direct a restructured ARC Corporate Ombudsman Program, "including representing the confidential concerns and complaints of employees, volunteers, donors, service recipients, suppliers, partners and the general public about alleged acts, omissions, improprieties and system problems with the American Red Cross."

Job Posting: Eastern Kentucky University

The public university in Richmond is hiring its first Faculty/Staff Ombud. The part-time position will report directly to UKU's President and establish an office to serve over 3,000 employees starting in January 2017.

Job Posting: Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior's Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution is hiring a Program in Specialist Washington, DC. The position reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology, Information, and Business Services and provides a range of ADR services. 

Job Posting: Beacon Health Options, California

The managed behavioral health organization is hiring an Ombudsperson to provide confidential, neutral assistance to members from its office in Cypress, CA. "The Ombudsperson advocates for fairness, serves as a source of information and support, acts as a liaison among stakeholders, and supports risk management for Beacon." The duties are primarily those of an Organizational Ombuds, but also incorporate some duties that are similar to those of a Classical Healthcare Ombuds. 

Appalachian State University Names New Ombuds

In August, the public university in Boone, North Carolina appointed Professor Bob Hill as its Ombudsperson.  Hill  is a Professor of Psychology and has been at Appalachain for 24 years.  He is a clinical psychologist by training and primarily teaches psychotherapy and assessment in the graduate program. 

Barnard College Ombuds Posts Charter

Barnard's Ombuds, Judit Revesz, has debuted website for her office and it includes a Charter Agreement.  The document specifies that the office will practice to IOA standards and also states that the Ombuds is not a mandatory reporter for Title IX or Cleary Act purposes.  (Barnard Ombuds.)

Colorado and New Mexico Ombuds Get Away From it All

Last weekend, Paul Kuerbis of Colorado College hosted the first Colorado-New Mexico Regional Ombuds retreat in beautiful Crestone, Colorado. Thirteen Ombuds attended the two-day event which included an afternoon of vibrant discussions followed by a private Bhutanese dinner and entertainment from Tom Sebok and Bruce McAllister. The meeting concluded on Saturday with tours, hikes and hot springs.

Ombuds at Howard University Will Moderate Townhall with President

Student Ombudsman, Calvin Hadley, will moderate a live question and answer webcast with Howard's President Wayne A.I. Frederick. The Ombuds will pose questions collected from the student body. The event will take place on Tuesday, October 11 at 4 p.m. and can be viewed live on several platforms.  (Howard Events.)

Central Michigan University Reopens Search for Ombuds, But Internally

The public research university in Mount Pleasant has reopened its search for a full-time Ombudsperson.  Now only internal applicants are eligible and the application window is one week long.  

NCAA Committee Recommends Ombuds for Investigations

A subcommittee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association has recommended several outside-the-box ideas for changing an enforcement system that is widely seen as ineffective an unfair. The NCAA oversees competitive college sports and polices its own rules; but its enforcement mechanisms are often seen as protracted and favoring high-profile athletics programs.  Since May 2016, the NCAA Division I Enforcement and Infractions Review Group has been conducting a review of the enforcement and infractions processes. One of the early proposals is for an Ombudsman to be available to parties involved in an NCAA investigation.

Shell Ombuds to Keynote Virginia Commonwealth University's Conflict Resolution Day

VCU's University Ombudsman William King, has announced the details of the 4th Annual National Conflict Resolution Day. The featured speaker will be Sean Banks, Director, Office of Ombuds Services at The Shell Oil Company and former UCLA Ombudsperson. A panel discussion featuring university faculty, staff and students will follow. 

New Ombuds at University of Louisville

In July, Robert Staat was appointed the University Ombuds at Louisville, succeeding Tony Belak. The appointment appears to be short-term, as the Faculty Senate is conducting a search for a new Ombuds.

Job Posting: Virginia Tech

The public university in Blacksburg is hiring a Graduate School Ombudsperson. Reporting to the Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education, the position serves about 6,500 graduate students. The full-time position is classified as a Lecturer. 

Ontario Minor League Hockey Club Seeks Ombuds

The Ilderton Minor Hockey Association is looking for its next Ombudsperson. The sport club supports organized hockey for over 400 players in the township located almost exactly between Detroit and Toronto. The Ombuds assists members in discussing their concerns and supplements existing administrative protocols for resolving complaints 

Job Posting: Kaiser Permanente Southern California

KP Southern California is hiring a full-time Health Care Ombuds/Mediator for its medical facilities in Los Angeles.  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."

Job Posting: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center

The international non-profit institute (commonly called by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT for Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo) is hiring its first Ombudsperson. The "as-needed" position would be based in CIMMYT's Mexico headquarters and work with permanent 1,500 staff and temporary workers based in 15 regional offices, mostly in Middle-East, Asia and Africa.

Job Posting: Kaiser Permanente Northern California

KP Northern California is hiring a full-time Health Care Ombuds/Mediator for its medical facilities in Walnut Creek.  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."

Job Posting: National Institutes of Health

The NIH Office of the Ombudsman is seeking experienced applicants for Associate and Contract positions.  

Here are the full details provided by the NIH Ombuds Office:

Profile of New Ombuds at Queen's University

The Queen's Gazette is running a series about the new Office of the University Ombudsman. About two years ago, Queen's converted the Dispute Resolution Mechanisms program into the Ombuds Office. Harry Smith, who was the Coordinator of Dispute Resolution Mechanisms became the Ombuds. Although the two programs were similar in function, the Ombuds has a different reporting structure and brings Queen's into line with many other Canadian colleges and universities that have Ombuds offices.