The Ombuds Blog: JIOA: Article Traces the U.S. History of Student Ombuds

March 20, 2020

JIOA: Article Traces the U.S. History of Student Ombuds

A new article in the peer-reviewed Journal of the International Ombudsman Association surveys the development of Student Ombuds in the United States. The author, Ryan Smith, serves as the Assistant University Ombudsperson at Michigan State University. The full article, "A Brief History of the Student Ombudsman: The Early Evolution of the Role in US Higher Education," is now available online.

Here's the abstract:

College and university ombuds were created throughout the United States in the late 1960’s in response to campus tensions created by the Vietnam War and a growing university bureaucracy. The role of these offices was to guard against violations of student rights and to provide pathways for redress of student grievances and based upon the Danish model of ombudsing. The ombuds role evolved with changes on college campuses and in society broadly. Within a short time, these offices expanded their scope to serve faculty, staff, and other constituencies, eventually becoming a part of the organizational ombuds model. This paper examines early ombuds practice, specifically the shift away from a model that served only students to one that served the entire campus community.

No comments:

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

Comment Policy

Content and Relevance

Stay on topic: Comments should be relevant to the post.
Be respectful: Personal attacks, insults, profanity, inflammatory language, and discriminatory or harassing comments will not be tolerated.
No self-promotion or spam: Comments should contribute to the conversation and not be used to for commercial purposes.
No confidential information: Do not share confidential information about your organization or visitors.

Length and Format

Keep it concise: Comments should be clear and to the point. Excessively long comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Use appropriate formatting: Do not use all caps unnecessarily. Comments may include HTML formatting for readability.

Other Considerations

Be professional and respectful: Please be mindful of your content, even when commending anonymously.
Comments may be edited: I reserve the right to remove or edit any comments that violate these guidelines. My edits will be noted.
Complaints about IOA: This is not the appropriate forum to lodge formal complaints against the International Ombuds Association.
Guest editorials: Please email me directly to discuss a guest editorial offering a longer, more in-depth perspective on a topic related to the organizational ombuds profession

March 20, 2020

JIOA: Article Traces the U.S. History of Student Ombuds

No comments:

Post a Comment