The Ombuds Blog: Growth in Cases Continues for Austrian Student Ombuds in 2024

February 03, 2025

The head of the Austrian Student Ombuds Office (Ombudsstelle für Studierende), Anna-Katharina Rothwangl, said her office saw a 6% increase in cases in 2023-24. This followed a 21% increase last year. The 822 issues came from a student body of 425,000 students enrolled at 77 different colleges and universities. The report also provides new recommendations to the legislature and updates on prior recommendations. (Austrian Student Ombuds 2024 Executive Summary.)

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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February 03, 2025

Growth in Cases Continues for Austrian Student Ombuds in 2024

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