The Ombuds Blog: University of Southern California to Create Ombuds Office

October 13, 2017

University of Southern California to Create Ombuds Office

In the wake of several, recent, high profile scandals (two medical school deans accused of misconduct, fundraising executive accused of sexual harassment, and arrest of an assistant basketball coach on fraud charges), USC has announced that it will establish a University Ombuds program. In a joint announcement that included other remedial measures, Michael W. Quick, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Todd R. Dickey, Senior Vice President for Administration, said:

USC Ombuds Office: It is crucial that we have a confidential space for our community to report issues on our campuses with support and to explore options and make informed decisions. We have asked Varun Soni, Vice Provost for Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention, to create this office to assist our community in managing difficult situations that arise in the workplace, and to do so with impartiality and independence. This office will have a physical presence on the Health Sciences Campus.

No timeline or other details have been announced. (USC Provost Statement; LA Times.)

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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October 13, 2017

University of Southern California to Create Ombuds Office

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