The Ombuds Blog: Journal of IOA: Ombuds as a Mechanism for Civility in Higher Ed

December 16, 2019

Journal of IOA: Ombuds as a Mechanism for Civility in Higher Ed

The latest article in the peer-reviewed JIOA is by Clara Wajngurt, a Professor of Mathematics at the City University of New York, Queensborough Community College and an executive coach. The full article, "The Faculty Ombudsperson: Maintaining Civility and Academic Freedom in Higher Education," is now available online at the Journal of the International Ombudsman Association.

Here's the abstract:

Academic freedom, tenure, peer review and shared governance are intrinsic tenets to the organizational climate of higher education. In the higher education climate dissent is valued, and dialogue and debate are encouraged. Often, there is a clash between academic freedom and civility. Sometimes an environment of civility can escalate to a climate of workplace bullying. Higher education institutions need to effectively address such incidents, in order to preserve these tenets. The existence of a faculty ombudsperson can serve as an option to resolve such conflicts, complaints or disagreements between different constituencies at the university, so that these tenets are further preserved.

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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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December 16, 2019

Journal of IOA: Ombuds as a Mechanism for Civility in Higher Ed

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