College of San Mateo Debuts Ombuds Program

Kohya Lu has been appointed the inaugural Ombudsperson for the public community college in the California Bay Area. In this new, full-time role, he will serve a student body of about 10,000 and practice to IOA standards. The position was created by the College's former President as part of an Education Master Plan created in 2022. 

CSM is part of the San Mateo County Community College District, which last year created a concerning hybrid role of Chief Diversity Officer and Ombuds. The District recently branded that that program as the Office of Collaborative Resolution, which will serve only District employees. The new San Mateo College Office of the Ombuds is a separate program. 

Lu comes to the position with over 16 years of higher ed residential administration experience, including stints at Capstone On-Campus Management, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Florida Gulf Coast University. He graduated from Ithaca College and earned an MS at Binghamton University. (CSM Ombuds, Education Master Plan; SMCCD Office of Collaborative Resolution; LinkedIn.)

Related posts: Exceptions Swallow the Role of New Ombuds at San Mateo County Community College.