The Ombuds Blog: Meet the New Student Ombudsperson at the University of Illinois Urbana

November 13, 2026

Meet the New Student Ombudsperson at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign

Illinois' flagship university has appointed Kristine McCoskey as its first Associate Dean of Students and Student Ombudsperson. She began her position in October 2025 and serves students through the university's Ombuds Assistance and Resources for Students (OARS) office. OARS operates as a confidential, independent, impartial, and informal resource in accordance with the International Ombuds Association's Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.

McCoskey has held several student-facing positions at Illinois, including roles in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Student Academic Affairs Office, the Department of English, and Scholar Support Programs. She is a two-time Illinois alumna, having earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the university. She also completed Northwestern University's Mediation Skills Training Course in November 2025. (Illinois OARS.)

No comments:

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

Comment Policy

Content and Relevance

Stay on topic: Comments should be relevant to the post.
Be respectful: Personal attacks, insults, profanity, inflammatory language, and discriminatory or harassing comments will not be tolerated.
No self-promotion or spam: Comments should contribute to the conversation and not be used to for commercial purposes.
No confidential information: Do not share confidential information about your organization or visitors.

Length and Format

Keep it concise: Comments should be clear and to the point. Excessively long comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Use appropriate formatting: Do not use all caps unnecessarily. Comments may include HTML formatting for readability.

Other Considerations

Be professional and respectful: Please be mindful of your content, even when commending anonymously.
Comments may be edited: I reserve the right to remove or edit any comments that violate these guidelines. My edits will be noted.
Complaints about IOA: This is not the appropriate forum to lodge formal complaints against the International Ombuds Association.
Guest editorials: Please email me directly to discuss a guest editorial offering a longer, more in-depth perspective on a topic related to the organizational ombuds profession

November 13, 2026

Meet the New Student Ombudsperson at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign

No comments:

Post a Comment