University of Toronto Selects Next Ombuds
Faye Mishna, will become uToronto’s next University Ombudsperson, starting a three-year term beginning July 1, 2025. Mishna is a Professor of Social Work and an expert on bullying, cyberbullying and the use of new technologies in the field of social work. She follows Bruce Kidd, who has served in the role since 2021. As the Ombuds, Mishna will head an office that operates across all three campuses and serves students, staff, faculty, librarians, and alumni. The Ombuds reports to the university's Governing Council.
The transition to the Ombuds role will cap a 26-year career on the faculty for Mishna. During that time, Mishna has held multiple leadership roles, including Associate Dean of Research, Dean, and Provostial Adviser. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and has been recognized as one of the top 100 most impactful global contributors to social work journal scholarship. She earned her PhD at Smith College. (uToronto News.)
And no Ombuds experience. This is typical in Canada.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Faye! We wish you the best of luck. Our community, by and large (aside from a couple bitter souls who choose to be openly disrespectful and should keep it to themselves), is open, collaborative, and supportive. Please reach out and you will find open arms and those who will freely provide any and all assistance you need to be successful.
ReplyDeleteHow do they get caught up to speed? Thats a rough learning curve. The osgoode certificate is more classically focused yes?
ReplyDeleteThe no Ombuds experience is typical in Canada, which then creates unintended challenges in establishing the smallest semblance of threading together what the Canadian version of Ombudsing means. Currently it may appear as though there's a reversion to selecting individuals who have longstanding experience in the same organization but may not have any Ombuds training nor even conflict resolution training. Intrinsically, should selection decisions will lead to a greater dilution of what Ombudsing means in Canada, as it may take years if never for those without sufficient training and practice in Ombudsing to recognize the shift they should make in how they practice their work. A simple review of how Ombudsing have failed to truly amount to what it could be in banking and insurance is a good guidance for what Canadian Ombuds want to avoid.
ReplyDeleteGet over yourselves. We've all started somewhere, and perhaps have pivoted in our careers doing something new once or twice. Smart capable people can take on this role and do an amazing job. This is especially true when there is an infrastructure at the institution (and broader system) that supports the role, and when the incumbent has a willingness to learn, uses all available resources for support, and has a commitment to excellence.
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