The Ombuds Blog: North Carolina State University's Student Ombuds to Retire

September 04, 2026

North Carolina State University's Student Ombuds to Retire

Mike Giancola, NC State’s Student Ombuds, will retire from the university effective November 1 and become Dean of Students and Associate Vice Provost at the University of Pittsburgh. Giancola joined NC State in 1998 and has served as Student Ombuds since 2016. Meanwhile Bradley Davis continues as NC State’s Faculty and Staff Ombuds. NC State says it will provide information about the future of Student Ombuds Services in the coming months. (NCSU DASA News.)
Related posts: North Carolina State University Names Student Ombuds; Chat With Ombuds at North Carolina State University; North Carolina State University Ombuds Works to Assist Students Hit by Hurricane Florence; North Carolina State University Selects Faculty/Staff Ombuds.

1 comment:

Paul Caffera9/05/2026 7:13 AM
Congratulations, Mike! Pitt is lucky to have you.
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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:

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany/Austria -- Ombudspersonen and Ombudsleute

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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