European Investment Bank Names First Ombuds

Balint Balassa has been appointed the inaugural Ombuds for the European Investment Bank. Reporting directly to the President of the EIB, Balassa will provide confidential services to 5,000 staff members in the bank’s Luxembourg headquarters, local offices within the EU, and external offices around the world. He assumed the role on October 1, 2025.

Call for Session Proposals: ENOHE 2026 Conference

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education seeks presenters for its 21st annual conference to be hosted by AGH University of Krakow on June 10-12, 2026. The theme for the conference is, "New Developments in a Maturing Profession: Ombuds Skills and AI." Organizers have issued a call for papers and proposals.

Full details from ENOHE:

White Paper Urges Use of Gender-Neutral 'Ombuds'

A working paper from Dragana Ćorić at the Faculty of Law in Novi Sad (Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Novom Sadu) in Serbia examines the relevance of naming for the Ombuds profession. Corcic argues that gender-sensitive terminology is a vital mechanism for achieving gender equality by reflecting and driving social change. She asserts that the move to from 'Ombudsman' to 'Ombuds' is a significant of this linguistic shift reflecting broader progress in human rights principles. Although the focus is on Classical Ombuds, Corci cites materials from IOA and the UC Berkely Ombuds Office, and articles by David Rasch and David Schwartz. 

Job Posting: Bridgewater State University

BSU, the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts, is hiring its first permanent University Ombuds. The search will fill a role held on an initial and interim basis by Pam Russell since May 2024. The new Ombuds will report to the University’s president and practice to IOA standards, providing confidential, impartial, and informal services to faculty and staff.

Job Posting: Stony Brook University

Stony Brook's health science and medical campus is seeking its first dedicated Ombudsman. The new position will supplement the work of Donna Buehler, who has served as the inaugural University Ombuds since 2014. The full-time Ombuds will practice to IOA standards and provide services to all stakeholders of Stony Brook Medicine. 

Job Re-Posting: Houston Community College

The Texas community college system has reposted its opening for a part-time Ombuds. It appears that the new position will report to Michael Edwards, who restarted the HCC Ombuds Office in early 2025. The part-time position will serve all constituents across multiple campuses, including over 52,000 students. The search first opened in August and the application requirements have not changed. .

Guest Post: Reese Ramos on the Impact of AI

In this special post, Reese Ramos, the University Ombuds & Director at Virginia Tech, offers his perspective on the growing impact of AI on Ombuds work. I deeply appreciate and respect his insights on the Ombuds profession.

Here is his full essay:

Article Examines Role of Slovenia's Athlete Ombuds

An article in the current issue of the International Sports Law Journal discusses the role of Athlete Rights Ombudsman for the Slovenian Olympic Committee, "The Athletes’ Ombudsman: integrating autonomous and heteronomous regulations for athlete protection." The author, Rožle Prezelj, urges greater emphasis on the Athletes’ Ombudsman as a legally grounded bridge between sports-organization rules and national law, arguing that this role is essential for advancing and safeguarding athletes’ rights.

Medical University of South Carolina Appoints First Ombuds

Kristin Lee Campbell has been appointed the Ombuds for faculty and post-doctoral fellows at the small private medical school in Charleston. She follows John Waller, who established the program in 2012. Campbell recently joined the faculty at MUSC faculty as an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics.

Osgoode/FCO Sets Advanced Ombuds Certificate Course for April 2026

The Forum of Canadian Ombudsman and Osgoode Professional Development are offering their intensive program on advanced Ombuds practice in April 2026. The course building on the success of the Osgoode/FCO Certificate – Essentials for Ombuds, this program is designed to teach skills for complex challenges and provides hands-on learning with leading experts and real-world case studies.

ACCUO Posts 2025 Conference Agenda

The Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons (Association des ombudsmans des universités et collèges du Canada) has announced published the agenda for its 2025 conference: "Moving Forward, Never Backward." The free, half-day, online event is set for tomorrow, November 21, 2025, and is aimed at "higher education ombuds professionals from across Canada and beyond." 

Peralta Community College District Ready to Recruit First Ombuds

PCCD, which operates four community colleges in Northern California (Berkeley City College, Laney College, Merritt College, and College of Alameda) is expected to open a search for its first Ombuds. At a meeting earlier this week, the district's board of trustees unanimously approved the new, classified management position. Details regarding the search for the inaugural Ombuds are forthcoming. (PCCD Board Agenda, Consent Item 8.5, YouTube at 38:23.)

Job Posting: Berea College

The highly ranked, private liberal arts college in Kentucky has opened a search for its first Ombudsperson. The full-time position will serve faculty and staff (not the 1,500 students) following IOA standards and report to the college president. 

University of Waterloo Adds an Assistant Ombuds

In June 2024, Sam Vandekerckhove joined the Ombuds Office at Waterloo as an Associate Ombuds. He reports to Whitney Barrett and serves at the initial point of contact the program that serves over 43,000 students across multiple campuses.

Université de Sherbrooke Student Ombudsman Releases 2024–25 Annual Report

UdeS has released the 2024–25 annual report from Student Ombudsman, Marie-Claude Laquerre, and Deputy Ombudsman, Stephanie McFarland. The office received 402 new requests, including 160 related to access-to-information issues. Student requests increased 16% from the prior year, while staff requests declined 6%. Most student matters involved evaluation, enrollment, or unclear criteria, and 78% were consultations rather than formal interventions. 

Wake County Public School System Issues RFI for Ombuds Services

WCPSS, a public school district in North Carolina, has issued a request for information for Ombuds services. The announcement indicated that the large school district had given up on its recent search for an employee to serve as its first Ombuds. The RFI is intended only "to survey the market for information ... for Ombuds Services."

IOA Opens Scholarship Applications for 2026 Annual Conference

The International Ombuds Association is offering scholarships to its 2026 Annual Conference, which will take place virtually on April 13-15, 2026. The application window closes January 22, 2026. The initiative supports new and aspiring Ombuds who lack organizational or institutional funding to attend. Applicants must be IOA members with less than one year of organizational Ombuds practice. 

Prince William County Public Schools Ombuds Posts 2024–25 Annual Report

PWCS in Virginia has issued the 2024–25 annual report from its Office of the Ombuds. Monique “Mo” Bookstein and Ombuds Specialist Rosamaria Manzines recorded 368 cases, a 15% increase from the prior year. The annual report uses IOA reporting categories and this year added a new case type, “Educational Partners,” to better classify school-related concerns.

Florida Institute of Technology Names Ombuds

The private research university in Melbourne, Florida, has appointed its first members of a Faculty Ombuds Committee: Albert Bleakley, Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering; Kenia Nunes, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Science; and Suzanne Kozaitis, Associate Librarian. All will serve an initial three-year term. In addition, Florida Tech also appointed Kristen Nelson as its next Student Ombuds in the summer of 2024. She follows Rebecca Crook in the part-time role. 

University of Colorado Boulder Opens Internal Search for Faculty Ombuds

Colorado's flagship public university seeks applications for a part-time Faculty Ombuds. The CU Boulder Ombuds Office currently has two Faculty Ombuds, Yem Fong and Jerry Hauser, who primarily work with faculty, researchers, and graduate students. The position is open only to retired faculty. Tenure and conflict resolution training are preferred. The nine-month, 0.30 FTE, hybrid appointment will pay $59,639 annually and applications are due by November 21, 2025. (CU Posting.)

Queen's University Faculty Raise Concerns About Ombuds

According to an article in the Queen's University Journal, the faculty union has raised concerns about a perceived conflict in the Office of the University Ombudsperson. The Queen’s University Faculty Association does not name the Ombuds in its statement (which is not publicly available), but points out that she is married to a senior university administrator. QUFA also has concerns about the Ombuds' reporting structure, which changed in 2023 from the University Secretariat to the Vice-Principal of Culture, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Brookhaven National Lab Abruptly Closes Ombuds Office

Just two weeks after she was appointed as the Ombuds for the U.S. Department of Energy lab in Long Island, New York, Brooke Wichmann has been laid off "due to changes in leadership and funding." She had been selected after a 20-month search to restart the Ombuds program at Brookhaven and bring it up to IOA standards. (LinkedIn.)

Michigan State University Adds an Assistant Ombuds

Stefanie Janes has joined the Ombuds Office at MSU. As the second, full-time Assistant Ombuds, her appointment marks the expansion of a program that serves all members of a large, public university. Janes reports to the University Ombudsperson, Shannon Lynn Burton, and join Assistant Ombudsperson, Ryan T. Smith. 

Loyola Marymount University Appoints Interim Ombuds

Jacqueline Villafañe will serve as an interim Ombuds for faculty and staff at LMU, the private Jesuit university in Los Angeles, while Johnny Armijo fulfills an active duty requirement with the Air Force Reserve from October 2025 through May 2026. Villafane is a current member of the IOA Board of Directors and has also been an Ombuds for the American Red Cross, The MacArthur Foundation, and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, among other organizations. (LMU Newsroom.)

Canada's Organizational Ombuds Council Document Guides Practice for Federal Ombuds

In July 2020, OOC (Conseil des ombuds organisationnels) issued "Standards of Practice for Organizational Ombuds of the Federal Public Service." These standards are designed to be "consistent with those of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA) and the Coalition of the Federal Ombudsman of the United States to guide the organizational ombuds practice within the Federal Public Service." This document is therefore another crucial, foundational document that supports and defines work of Organizational Ombuds. 

Job Posting: United Nations, Jordan

The United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is hiring a Regional Ombudsman for its office in Amman. The position will serve the UN Relief and Works Agency and its staff in locations assisting Palestinian refugees. The position is contracted for five years and is not renewable.

Job Posting: Kaiser Permanente, Northern California

KP is hiring a full-time HealthCare Ombuds/Mediator for its medical facilities in San Rafael, California. The Kaiser HCOM, "functions as a trained alternative dispute professional offering patients, family members, staff & providers a conflict management program to resolve patient/provider healthcare disputes early thereby improving patient safety & reducing the costs of health care dispute resolution." Local travel is required.

Ombuds at University of Alberta Releases 2024-25 Annual Report

Natalie Sharpe, Director of the Office of the Student Ombuds, has released an report covering the 2024–25 academic year. The OSO assisted 1,870 students during the period—1,657 undergraduates and 195 graduate students, including postdoctoral fellows and medical residents. The office reported more than 21,000 contacts and meetings, marking continued high demand for confidential and impartial support.

Job Posting: University of New Mexico

The public research university in Albuquerque is hiring an Associate Ombuds. The full-time position will join an office that provides services to UNM staff, faculty supervising staff and their co-workers, and graduate students. The office currently includes Ombuds, JoEllen Ransom; Senior Associate Ombuds, Anne Lightsey; and Associate Ombuds, Heidi Ricci.

Donna Bishop: Inaugural Northeastern Ombuds

Donna M. Bishop, who established the Ombuds office at Northeastern University, passed on September 29, 2025, at the age of 78. Bishop was a full professor of criminology and criminal justice when she was tapped to create an Ombuds program for campus employees in 2011. She served as the Ombuds for six years. Her teaching career also included faculty positions at the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida. In addition, she was an active volunteer with Covenant Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, Florida, the Alachua County Crisis Center, and the American Cancer Society. (Conte Obituary.) 

Missouri State University Debuts Ombuds Program

Chris Herr and Mary Bohlen have been appointed as the first Ombuds Representatives for the public university in Springfield. As part-time (0.20 FTE), collateral duty Ombuds, they jointly serve all MSU employees following IOA standards. As Ombuds, Herr and Bohlen report as part of the president's office and are expected to serve an initial appointment of three years.

Washington State University Enacts Ombuds Charter

WSU, public university in Pullman has adopted a charter for its Office of the Ombuds. The new document states that the Ombuds will practice to IOA standards and was endorsed by WSU's president and provost, and both ombuds, Justin Denney and Lenka Perkins. Perkins joined the Ombuds office in December 2024 and followed Karen Sanguinet.

Job Posting: Alice L. Walton School of Medicine

The new (founded in 2021 and preliminarily accredited), private, allopathic medical school in Bentonville, Arkansas, has opened a search for its first Ombudsperson. The half-time position will report to the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and serve a student population of less than 400. 

Job Posting: Rutgers University–Camden

The State University of New Jersey has opened a search for Student Ombudsperson to establish a program for its Camden campus. (Kaamilyah Abdullah-Span continues as the Student Ombuds in New Brunswick and a separate Ombuds Office serves students and house staff at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.) The position reports to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

Nocturne Art at Night Society Appoints First Ombuds

Morgan Bath has been introduced as the first Ombudsperson for Nocturne, a nonprofit in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia) that supports and promotes the local arts community. In this new role, she will provide Ombuds services to artists, contractors, and volunteers. 

Job Posting: University of Colorado Boulder

Colorado's flagship public university is hiring a second Associate Ombuds. The position will join an office comprised of Director, Kirsi Aulin, Associate Ombuds, Jason J. Sinocruz, two Faculty Ombuds, Yem Fong and Jerry Hauser, and Ombuds Program Administrator, Maggie Howard. The Associate Ombuds will handle cases from students, staff, faculty, and administrators, and conduct outreach, with an emphasis on undergraduate students.

Gund Institute Names First Ombuds

Marie Vea has been appointed the inaugural Ombuds for the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. As the "Ombuds for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging," Vea serves students, postdocs, staff, and faculty affiliated with the institute. She takes on the Ombuds role as a collateral duty—Vea is also the Assistant Dean for Student Services & Staff Development. Meanwhile, Ralph Swenson continues as the Graduate Student Ombudsperson for UVM on the main campus. 

ACCUO Opens Registration for 2025 Conference

The Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons (Association des ombudsmans des universités et collèges du Canada) has announced details for its 2025 conference: "Moving Forward, Never Backward." The online, half-day event will take place on November 21, 2025, and is aimed at "higher education ombuds professionals from across Canada and beyond." Here is the full announcement: 

German Faculty Association Urges Universities to Implement Ombuds Programs

Allgemeiner Fakultätentag, the nationwide umbrella organization for 19 faculty associations and an influential voice on higher education policy in Germany, has issued a position paper addressing power imbalances and misconduct in academic settings, and urging universities to create Ombuds programs. The statement links hierarchical structures and dependency relationships to risks of abuse, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and violations of good scientific practice. AFT calls on universities to promote a culture of openness and accountability and to strengthen preventive measures such as awareness training and responsible leadership development. 

Job Posting: International Organization for Migration, Egypt

The intergovernmental organization that promotes cooperation on migration issues is hiring a Conflict Resolution Officer to be based in Cairo. The position is located within the IOM Office of the Ombudsperson and Mediation Services and assists staff members with employment issues following IOA standards. The contract is for nine months and reports to the IOM Ombuds, Indumati Sen.

Job Posting: International Organization for Migration, Senegal

The intergovernmental organization that promotes cooperation on migration issues is hiring a Conflict Resolution Officer to be based in Senegal. The position is located within the IOM Office of the Ombudsperson and Mediation Services and assists staff members with employment issues following IOA standards. The contract is for nine months and reports to the IOM Ombuds, Indumati Sen.

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Names Faculty Ombuds

Earlier this year, Cynthia Paccacerqua was selected as the next Faculty Ombuds for UTRGV, the public research university at the southern tip of Texas. As the half-time Ombuds, she serves about 1,200 UTRGV academic employees and follows the inaugural Ombuds, Veronica Cano. Paccacerqua takes on the Ombuds role and continues as Associate Professor of Philosophy and Affiliate Faculty in Mexican American Studies.

Job Posting: Yale University

The private research university in New Haven, Connecticut has opened a search for its first University Ombudsperson. The new position will serve faculty, staff, and graduate and professional school students across the university. (Merle Waxman served for many years as the Ombuds for Yale's school of medicine until her retirement in 2022.) Yale's new president (to whom the Ombuds will report), announced the search in a public post and explained: "I am prioritizing this role—even during our period of restrained spending—because of the comments and suggestions I have received from all of you."

Bethune–Cookman University Appoints Collateral Duty Ombuds

The private, historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida, has named Ashley Thomas as its first University Ombudsman and Title IX Compliance Officer. According to her website, as the Ombuds, she is a "confidential and impartial resource dedicated to serving the entire Bethune-Cookman University community—students, faculty, and staff." The university's Title IX policy includes Thomas's Ombuds title and identifies her at the Title IX Coordinator/Compliance Officer for the same constituents. 

ACCUO Unveils New Website, Branding, Social Media

The Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons (Association des ombudsmans des universités et collèges du Canada) has debuted a revamped website and branding. The updated media and materials are designed to "capture the essence of ACCUO: independent, impartial, and accessible, with a design that is modern, professional, and dynamic." In addition, ACCUO/AOUCC has launched channels on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. (ACCUO: Website, LinkedIn; Instagram; YouTube.)

University of Warsaw Confirms Ombuds

Magdalena Miksa has been appointed to a three-year term as the Academic Ombudsman for Uniwersytet Warszawski, Poland's largest university. For the past year, she has served as the acting University Ombudsman, following Anna Cybulko in the position. Miksa previously served as the Deputy Academic Ombudsman for Student Affairs and as the Anti-Mobbing Coordinator since 2018. 

Meet the Ombuds for the International Organization for Migration

In September 2024, Indumati Sen was selected as the next Ombudsperson for IOM, the United Nations organization that promotes cooperation on migration issues. Sen brings nearly two decades of Ombuds one of the first to earn CO-OP designation and also served on the IOA board of directors. (LinkedIn.)

REDDU and UNAM Ombuds Celebrate Jubilees

This year, the Office of the University Ombudsman at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) marks its 40th year, while the Red de Organismos Defensores de los Derechos Universitarios (REDDU), the network of Mexican university Ombuds offices, marks 20 years. Both REDDU and UNAM are active, international partner organizations of ENOHE, the European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education. 

Modernist Studies Association Names First Ombuds

The professional association for scholars of early twentieth-century literature, art, music, and performance has selected Sarah Wasserman as its inaugural Ombuds. She will provide services to members and conference attendees following IOA standards. 

University of Houston-Downtown to Hire Ombuds

The public university in Texas has opened an internal search for its next Staff Ombuds. UHD established an Ombuds program for faculty and staff in 2009. This search will replace Amanda Clay, who served in the collateral-duty role for the past year. (The Faculty Ombuds position, meanwhile, is vacant.) The part-time position pays a monthly stipend of $150 and serves over 700 staff members.