UNG, which was formed by the consolidation of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College in January 2013, has appointed Michael Stapleton as part-time Ombudsman for nearly 2,000 faculty and staff. Stapleton will retire from his position as Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police for the University in November.
The public university in St. George, Utah has created an Ombuds program to serve its 7,000 faculty, staff and students. Operating under a charter signed by DSU President Stephen Nadauld, the office is staffed by Katie Armstrong, Ami Comeford and Will Craver, who practice in accordance with IOA standards.
Two days ago, an anonymous poster on reddit (a social news and entertainment website), said that his/her assurances of confidentiality were a sham. Posted to the subreddit on privacy with the title "University ombudsman scam - privacy warning," privacynat said:
ACCUO has announced a contest to award two students, one in College and one in University, a prize of $1,000. Applicants must submit an essay of about 1,000 words, in English or French on their "academic interests and how they support social justice and the pursuit of a fair society" or "the role and value of the ombudsperson at [their] post-secondary institution." Applicants must be enrolled at one of 30 participating Canadian institutions. The deadline for submission is October 15 and winning essays may be published on the ACCUO website. (ACCUO Announcements.)
The private university in metropolitan Atlanta has appointed Sherry Ebrahimi to the newly-established position of Student Ombudsperson. In the new, part-time role, "Ebrahimi will be responsible for assisting students in achieving resolutions to their problems and concerns while ensuring their privacy." She also will continue in her current position as director of university conferences.
UWG is reviewing applications from for its Faculty Ombuds. Applicants must be tenured faculty or "have demonstrable knowledge and skills in conflict resolution." The selected candidate will be required to attend the IOA training in Baltimore and start the first of the year. The search will replace John R. Fuller, who has held the position for two years. (UWG Jobs.)
The state trade association of 155,000 real estate professionals has adopted an Ombuds program for its members. According to a new website for the office:
The Associação Brasileira de Ouvidores will offer a joint training program with IOA on October 16-18, 2013 in Sao Paulo. The workshop, which is designed for Brazilian Ombuds, will introduce the IOA standards of practice and compare them to ABO's. The IOA trainers will be...
In response to an advisory letter from the U.S. Department of Education, U-M has adopted a new policy for how it responds to student sexual-misconduct allegations, transitioning from a complainant-driven model to one driven by University investigators. Under the new policy, which was two years in the making, the university assumes the burden of internally investigating all allegations of student sexual misconduct. The new policy clarifies that only three office, including the Office of Ombuds, can offer full confidentiality to students who report sexual misconduct. (Michigan Daily; Sexual Misconduct Policy.)
Vincent Vuillemi, the Ombuds at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, says that about three percent of CERN staff members have used his services each year since he opened the office three years ago. He notes that women use the office at greater rates than men.
The community college just outside Washington, D.C. has created an Ombuds office for employees and appointed Sarah Miller Espinosa to the half-time position.
MC President DeRionne Pollard decided to create the program in response
to recommendations from an employee advisory group, union and faculty
representatives, and HR experts. The MC Ombuds will serve about 1,800 college employees and operate in accordance with the IOA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
UM appointed Professor Bruno J. Giordani to be the university's Faculty Ombuds effective September 1. He follows Michael Welsh, who created a charter for the office. Giordani said, "One of the goals I see as important during my time as ombuds is to work within this charter to continue to strengthen the relationship between this office and the local unit ombuds in each school and college of the university." The appointment is part-time and Giordani will continue he teaching as a professor of psychiatry, neurology and psychology, and chief psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry.
The Swiss humanitarian organization that protects the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and provides them with assistance, expands its Ombuds services by creating two new positions: Ombuds for Asia and the Middle East and Ombuds for Africa. Both of these resident positions will be field-based.
The public university in Mobile has named Jeanne Maes to be its first Faculty Ombudsperson. “The creation of a campus ombudsperson is something the faculty senate has been working toward for some time, and we are happy to see the work that we and the administration have put into doing it right come to fruition,” said Faculty Senate President Dr. Doug Marshall. Maes will not handle any matters involving the university's students or staff.
Every September, the Navy honors its Family Ombudsman program, which was established in September of 1970 by Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., then Chief of Naval Operations. The hundreds of Command Ombudsmen volunteer to serve as liaisons between the command and command families.
