The Ombuds Blog: Ozarks Technical Community College Names First Ombuds

April 25, 2019

Ozarks Technical Community College Names First Ombuds

The public community college in Springfield, Missouri has appointed Gavin O'Connor as its first Academic Ombudsman. In this new role, O'Connor "assists students and staff in working through and resolving academic related questions, problems and conflicts." The school enrolls over 15,000 students. O'Connor steps into the role after teaching in the Life Science department for the past 17 years.

At OTC, O'Connor has held the positions of Director of Grants Development, Assistant Dean of Sciences and Assistant Dean of Academic Services while at OTC and is currently the Special Assistant to the Provost. He graduated and earned an MS at Missouri State University, and a PhD from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. (OTC Ombuds, Bio.)

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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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April 25, 2019

Ozarks Technical Community College Names First Ombuds

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