Familiar Faces Return for 2021 Ombuds Series at Kennesaw State

Kennesaw State University's annual Summer Institute for Professional Development will be a virtual event this year. Hosted by the KSU Center for Conflict Management, the Summer Institute again includes an Ombuds workshop with experienced Ombuds professionals delivering three session, which can be purchased separately or as a package:

• Helping Visitors Raise Concerns About Bullying, Tuesday, June 8th, 1pm - 4:15pm EDT with Kirsi Aulin, University of Colorado at Boulder
  

  We will explore both strategies for raising concerns about bullying and the risks inherent in raising concerns about bullying. This presentation will draw from the work of Daniel Kahneman, Laura Crawshaw, William Ury and Adam Grant, among others. I will also be relying on experience gained in my career as a psychotherapist and fourteen years as an Organizational Ombuds.

• Ombudsing and COVID: Contemporary Challenges and Future Opportunities, Wednesday, June 9th, 1pm - 4:15pm EDT with Jennifer Schneider, University of South Florida; Mary Rowe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Timothy Hedeen, Kennesaw State University
  

  The pandemic has presented a range of challenges for ombuds and their host organizations. Reconfigured workplaces demanded big changes in how ombuds receive visitors and information, maintain rapport and confidentiality, communicate with colleagues and leaders, and much more. We'll share and learn artful, ethical responses to these challenges. And we'll look ahead to the many opportunities a post-pandemic context will offer as well, recognizing that many changes will provide fertile ground for ombuds offices to re-design their services for maximum benefit to their constituents.

• Demystifying Ombuds Work by Presenting Data for Impact, Thursday, June 10th, 1pm - 4:15pm ET with Lisa Yamagata-Lynch, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
  

  We will explore how ombuds offices can use data to demystify their value within an organization. In this workshop participants will learn about data visualization and data storytelling. Participants will engage in hands on activities with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint to create Ombuds Service Data Dashboards. Finally, there will be a demonstration of how a qualitative research tool such as QSR Nvivo can be used for capturing themes that cut across visitor cases. 

The sessions are $125 each or $295 for all three. More information is now online and registration is open. (KSU Summer Institute-Ombuds.)

Prior Posts: Kennesaw State Reorganizes Ombuds Program, Downgrades Student Ombuds; Kennesaw State University to Host Summer Ombuds Workshops in June 2019; Title IX Researchers Seek Input from Higher Ed Ombuds; Kennesaw State University Names Ombuds; Kennesaw State to Host Ombuds Professional Development in June.