The Ombuds Blog: Ombuds at University of Toronto Posts 2018 Annual Report

November 05, 2018

Ombuds at University of Toronto Posts 2018 Annual Report

UT Ombudsperson, Ellen Hodnett, reports that her office saw a 10% increase in cases in 2017-18 (a total of 374 compared to 339 in the prior year). The most remarkable change was a 25% increase in the number of graduate students cases. Hodnett made three recommendations regarding which all have been adopted by the university's administration.
Meanwhile, a search continues for an Ombuds Office to help support the expansion of the program to all of UT's campuses. (UT Ombuds 2017-18 Annual Report; UT Administrative Response.)

Related posts: University of Toronto Appoints New Ombuds, Completes Review of Program; Ombuds at University of Toronto Nears End of Term; University of Toronto Ombuds Reports Steady Caseload; University of Toronto Expands Ombuds Services to All Campuses; Job Posting.

1 comment:

Nichole11/06/2018 5:38 AM
Excellent work by Ellen Hodnett followed by an appropriate response from UT administration. This is compelling evidence for the use of ombuds at colleges and universities!
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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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