Frances Bauer: Former Ombuds at University of Western Ontario

Frances Bauer, the former Ombudsperson at Western University, passed away on May 15, 2025. She attended McGill University at the age of 15 and went on to earn two masters degrees. Much of her career was spent in higher education, including time at Dawson College and Concordia University. Eventually, she became the University Ombuds at Western, where she served for two decades before retiring in 2005. She briefly unretired in 2008-2009 to be the interim Ombuds at Fanshawe College. 

Bauer was a founding member and president of the Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons (L'Association des ombudsmans des universités et des collèges du Canada) and served on the Board of the University and College Ombuds Association (a predecessor organization to IOA). Her legacy is also preserved by an influential article, "The Practice of One Ombudsman," she published in Negotiation Journal in 2000. (Remembering CA; The Interrobang; Negotiation Journal.) 

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