IT:U Establishes Two Ombuds Offices

Austria's newest university, the Interdisciplinary Transformation University in Linz, has established two Ombuds offices. Nata Sturua was named Student Ombudsperson in Fall 2025 (coinciding with the matriculation of the first cohort of graduate students). The Students Ombuds Office serves all IT:U students with mediation and dialogue, guidance on university rules and procedures, and assistance with informal resolution of concerns. The university is expected to eventually enroll 5,000 students, including undergraduates, in the next decade. Sturua is a lawyer and Associate Professor with experience in international business law, mediation, conflict resolution, and legal research, most recently serving as Head of the International Business Law Program at the University of Georgia in Tbilisi. (IT:U Student Ombuds.) 

ENOHE Elects 2026 Board

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education has announced its new leadership elected during its its 21st annual conference at AGH University of Kraków this week. 

The new officers and board members are:

CEITEC Names Student Ombuds

The Central European Institute of Technology (Středoevropský technologický institut), a multidisciplinary research center based in Brno, Czech Republic, appointed Beáta Idesová as its PhD Ombudsperson in January of this year. She follows Katarína Rovenská in the role and provides peer-based, informal and confidential support for doctoral students with academic and workplace concerns. Idesová is completing her PhD in nanotechnology. (CEITEC News.) 

ENOHE Announces 2026 Conference Speakers

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education has announced speakers and session details for its 21st annual conference at AGH University of Kraków on June 10-12, 2026. This year's theme is "New Developments in a Maturing Profession: Ombuds Skills and AI" will connect emerging issues in artificial intelligence with Ombuds work in higher education.

Palacký University Olomouc Appoints First Ombuds

On February 1, 2026, Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, the second oldest university in the Czech Republic, named Jaroslav Šotola as its inaugural University Ombudsman. In this new role, Sotola serves faculty from eight schools, staff, and 23,000 students, with concerns including bullying, discrimination, abuse of power, sexual harassment, and other conflicts. As the Ombuds, he provides confidential consultations and informal resolution support but does not adjudicate academic or employment matters. 

University of Innsbruck Appoints Ombuds

Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck has appointed Milan Ončák as Ombudsperson for PhD students. The appointment establishes a new Ombuds function at the large research university in capital of Austria's Tyrol county. 

Registration Opens for Certificate Program at Danube University Krems

The application window has opened for the new certificate program: “Managing Conflict and Effective Dispute Resolution in Higher Education” at the University for Continuing Education Krems (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems). Developed in cooperation with ENOHE and billed as the first formal training in Europe for professional conflict management in higher education, the two-semester program is tailored to Ombuds and others handling student complaints and stakeholder conflicts.

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. 

ENOHE Webinar Looks at Academic Bullying

The next webinar from the European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education focuses on incivility in higher education. The 90-minute online program, "The Role of the Ombuds in Preventing and Responding to Academic Bullying on University Campuses," is set for November 25, 2025, at 4:00-5:30 UCT+1.

V4 OmbudsLink Formed to Promote University Ombuds in Central Europe

University Ombuds in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia have launched a regional network through a new initiative, “V4 OmbudsLink: Fostering Collaboration Across Borders.” The project is funded by the International Visegrad Fund and coordinated by the Czech Ombuds Platform in Education (ŠOP, Školská Ombuds Platforma) with partners the Academic Network for Safety and Equality in Poland (ASBiR, Akademicka Sieć Bezpieczeństwa i Równości) and the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia (UCM), and has support from the European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education (ENOHE). 

ENOHE Partners with Danube University Krems for Certificate Program

The University for Continuing Education Krems (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems) is launching a certificate program called “Managing Conflict and Effective Dispute Resolution in Higher Education” in October 2025. The new program was developed in cooperation with the European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education and is specifically tailored to meet the needs of Ombuds. 

Leoncio Severino Lara Sáenz: Former Ombuds for UNAM and Founder of REDDU

Leoncio Severino Lara Sáenz passed away at the age of 85 in late April 2025. Lara served as defensor universitario of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City from 2003 to 2011 and was the founder and Executive Secretary of the Mexican Network of University Ombuds Offices (REDDU). He was also Vice President of the Instituto Latinoamericano del Ombudsman. Lara was also remembered as an active participant in the European Network of University Ombuds' annual conferences starting in 2007. For his many years of advocacy benefitting university Ombuds, ENOHE bestowed a lifetime membership to Lara in March 2024.

Call for Participants: Ombuds in Higher Education

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education is updating a landmark survey. In 2017, ENOHE published a monograph by Rob Behrens, "Being an Ombudsman in Higher Education." The document has been cited many times by ENOHE and elsewhere, and it is now due for an update. ENOHE is inviting participants to complete a questionnaire to map the strength and diversity of Ombuds in higher education in Europe and beyond.

ENOHE Announces Agenda for 20th Annual Conference

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education has announced details for its 20th annual conference at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on June 4-6, 2025. The theme is "Building Bridges: Equity, Responsibility, and the Ombuds’ Vision for the Future, Inspired by 750 Years of Amsterdam." Three dozen speakers from 13 different countries will offer insights based on professional experiences building and running Ombuds programs for universities and countries.

Call for Papers and Posters: ENOHE 2025 Conference

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education seeks presenters for its 20th annual conference at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on June 4-6, 2025. Proposals are due by January 15, 2025. 

Full details from ENOHE: 

University Ombuds in Central Europe Convene for "Little Olomouc Summit"

Recently, the two board members of the Czech School Ombuds Platform (ŠOP), Jaroslav Šotola and Michaela Antonín-Malaniková, both Ombuds at Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, met with Josef Leidenfrost, the immediate past president and former coordinator of the Austrian Ombuds Network. (Antonín-Malaniková and Leidenfrost also both serve on the ENOHE Board and ENOHE International Relations Committee.) The bilateral talks focused on current developments in their respective countries and across Europe.

ENOHE Publishes 2024 Yearbook

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education has published its first yearbook. Discussions about creating a yearbook started in the mid-2010s, and plans became concrete when the network transitioned into an association. This initiative was included in the ENOHE Annual Work Plan 2024. The 2024 Yearbook is the first to offer reviews of emerging topics in Ombuds work and examine pending developments and issues related to the profession. Contributions come from colleagues across four continents, reflecting ENOHE’s international reach beyond Europe.

ENOHE Webinar to Explore AI and Ombuds Work

As part of a series of online events, the European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education is offering a special interactive webinar on AI and ChatGPT and Ombuds offices. The two-hour online program, "Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT and Ombuds Offices: Overhyped or Overlooked?," is set for June 21, 2024 at 1400-1600pm CEST.

ENOHE International Relations Committee Holds Constituting Meeting

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education's International Relations Committee has held its very first meeting in mid-April 2024. Established by the ENOHE Board in fall 2023, the IRC is part of the association’s new governance structures. The IRC and other new committees will support ENOHE's efforts to promote the idea and concept of the Ombuds service through a variety of activities.

ENOHE Opens Registration for 2024 Conference in Portugal

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education has announced details for its 19th annual conference. The event will be hosted by University Beira Interior in Covilhã, Portugal. The theme is "From Plato's Academy to Portugal: Democracy, Diversity, and the Role of the Ombudsperson in Higher Education." The conference will be preceded by a Training Activity Programme for up to 20 participants.