This is the first post in the Ombuds Blog’s annual year-end summary of the Organizational Ombuds profession. This installment focuses on transitions in the field, beginning with a review of Ombuds who retired or passed away during the year, along with a recap of newly established and closed Ombuds programs. Another post reviewing other developments from the year will follow in the next week.
Retirements -- Several Ombuds announced their retirements last year, including:
- Linda Falkson, Cornell
- Yem Fong, CU Boulder
- Jerry Hauser, CU Boulder
- Don Lubach, UC Santa Barbara
In Memoriam -- Colleagues remembered many former Ombuds who passed away in 2025:
- Bill Angrick, State of Iowa and President of USOA and IOI
- Francis Bauer, University of Western Ontario
- John Binder, Kent State
- Donna Bishop, Northeastern University
- George Leitmann, UC Berkeley
- Leoncio Severino Lara Sáenz, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico and Executive Secretary of the Mexican Network of University Ombuds Offices (REDDU).
- Phyllis White, UMass Amherst
New and Expanded Offices -- This year, 37 organizations created or increased the scope of their Ombuds programs. This was a decrease from last year's tally of 58 and 72 in 2023. The following organizations created (or expanded) Ombuds programs this past year:
- American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
- American InterContinental University
- American Physical Society
- Bethune–Cookman University
- Cal Poly Pomona (reopened and expanded)
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Canadian Security Intelligence Service
- Central State University
- Endometrial Cancer Research Foundation
- European Investment Bank
- Exergen Corp
- Florida Institute of Technology
- Gdańsk University of Technology
- Georgia Institute of Technology (reopened)
- Gund Institute
- Hanyang University
- Indiana University Bloomington (grad students)
- International Franchise Association
- International Political Science Association
- Kent State University (staff)
- Kennesaw State University
- Missouri State University
- Modernist Studies Association
- Nocturne Art at Night Society
- Oakland University
- Pacific University
- Rutgers University (staff)
- Spelman College
- State University of New York at Oneonta
- Transport Canada
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Intelligence and Analysis
- University of Alabama Adapted Athletics
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (research)
- University of Tennessee at Martin
- Via Rail Canada
- Virginia Governor’s School for the Visual and Performing Arts and Humanities
- Youngstown City School District
Note that the list includes a few that were overlooked or had a quiet launch in recent years. The list also excludes programs created by organizations that have not made any details public.
Closed Offices -- It is notoriously difficult to track Ombuds offices closing, because there is usually no public announcement. (This list may be updated upon receipt of additional information.) These are the organizations that closed their Ombuds programs in 2025:
- Brookhaven National Lab
- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
- Dawson College
- Fanshawe College
- Gallaudet University
- U.S. State Department
- West Chester University
Job Postings -- Opportunities continued a years-long decline in 2025. There were 79 job postings, a decline from 117 in 2024, 138 in 2023, and 143 in 2022.
Related posts:
- The Ombuds Decade in Review;
- 11 Stories that Shaped the Ombuds Profession in the 2010's;
- 2020 Year in Review: Transitions; 2020 Year in Review: Signs of Hope; 2020 Year in Review: Courage and Crises;
- 2021 Year in Review: Transitions; 2021 Year in Review: Responding to Challenges; 2021 Year in Review: Setting the Stage for Positive Change
- 2022 Year in Review: Transitions; 2022 Year in Review: Cheers & Jeers; 2022 Year in Review: The Big Trends;
- 2023 Year in Review: Transitions; 2023 Year in Review: Top Posts, Cheers/Jeers, and Courage; 2023 Year in Review: The Big Story
- 2024 Year in Review: Transitions; 2024 Year in Review: Five Big Stories.
Thank you for sharing this cumulative information Tom. I'm sure the Ombuds community appreciates it more than you know.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, I also wonder what our community thinks of the declining recruitment of Ombudspersons?
The ombuds profession has a hard time defining what we do, in a single sentence.
DeleteI believe if Ombuds can continue to share our reports publicly and educate leaderships of organization our value may be recognized. I believe transparency of general information without attribution is so important to help others value what we bring to an organization.
ReplyDeleteMay the new year bring us all positive recognition. With gratitude to Tom and all who make this work more recognized as positive opportunity for change in the world.
Public written reports are a cry for relevance.
ReplyDeleteThat's a hot take! I can think of several reasons why Ombuds might not issue a public report, but this reason wouldn't make a long list.
DeleteIt seems like that are way more new ombuds positing than closures, so maybe the decline is postings mean that there are less job-to-job movement. I wonder if the IOA practice survey has information about how long ombuds stay in their role and whether that has increased in the past years.
ReplyDeleteThe office at Cal Poly Pomona (my new job in 2025) was reopened and expanded this year after closing in 2020 with the retirement of Lavada Austin.
ReplyDelete