Faculty Ombuds at University of Colorado Boulder Publish 2011 Report

The Faculty Ombuds at CU Boulder, Lee Potts and Larry Singell, handled 46 cases involving 70 people in 2010-2011. Although the number of cases declined from the prior year, Potts and Singell engaged with significantly more people, a total of 344, through service and outreach activities.

IOA Offers International Scholarships to 2012 Conference

The International Committee of IOA has announced the availability of financial support to sponsor members or prospective members living outside of North America to attend the annual conference on April 15-18, 2012, in Houston, Texas. The scholarship is targeted at Organizational Ombuds working outside the US or Canada who would otherwise not be able to attend the conference.

Book Will Serve as Reference for News Ombuds

Jeffrey Dvorkin, the Executive Director of the Organization of News Ombudsmen, will soon publish the Handbook for News Ombudsmen. On his personal blog, Dvorkin provides a short excerpt that explains why Ombuds are important for media outlets.

Job Posting Reveals Brown University Will Reopen Ombuds Office

Brown is hiring a half-time Faculty Ombudsperson. The move will reestablish an office that was closed in 2009. The position reports to the University President and serves members of the faculty and postdoctoral fellows or research associates.

University of Georgia Names New Faculty Ombuds

UGA President Michael F. Adams has named Cathy M. Jones, a Professor of French and Provençal to the position of Faculty Ombudsperson. "As a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, she is one of our truly exemplary faculty members, and she brings both integrity and care to this important position," said Adams. He did not, however address the recent criticisms of the UGA Ombuds Office or any changes to the university's sexual harassment response program -- which has included the Ombuds Office for the past three years.

IOA Board of Certification Announces New Officers

The Board of Certification for Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioners has elected the following officers for one-year terms beginning this month:

National Association of Realtors Will Train Ombuds at Annual Conference

When NAR holds its annual meeting in Anaheim, CA next month, attendees will be able to take a course in creating an Ombuds program for real estate disputes. A two hour session titled, "How to Develop a Local Ombudsman Program" will be offered on November 13.

University of Ottawa Ombuds Publishes First Annual Report

In her first report on the office she opened in September 2010, uOttawa Ombudsperson Lucie Allaire says she handled 174 cases in nine months. Academic and financial concerns topped the list of issues, reflecting the fact that majority of visitors were undergraduate students.

Confederation College Ombuds Posts Third Annual Report

Kim Morgan, who founded the Ombuds program at Confederation in 2008, reports continued strong demand for her services. In the 2010-2011 academic year, she handled 131 student matters, a 40% increase from the first year of the office. In addition to several pages of graphs and data, Morgan's report also includes 14 specific recommendations, mostly for enhanced communication by staff. (Confederation Ombuds 2011 Annual Report.)

University of Iowa Ombuds Reports Growing Incivility Problem

The annual report from the UI Office of the Ombudsperson shows a slight decrease in the number of cases, but a persistent problem with disrespectful behavior on campus. UI Staff Ombudsperson Cynthia Joyce told the Iowa City Press-Citizen, "A pattern we are very concerned about is the number of visitors concerned about respective behavior that has been inching up over the last number of years." According to the annual report by Joyce and Faculty Ombudsperson Susan Johnson, a quarter of visitor complaints involved disrespectful behavior and another six percent were about about workplace bullying.

Gallaudet Ombuds to Mark 2011 Conflict Resolution Day

Suzy Rosen Singleton, the Ombuds at Gallaudet University, will participate in the annual International Conflict Resolution Day by sponsoring a discussion, "No More Bullying: Resolving Academic and Personal Incivility" on October 20. Singleton promises an interactive session with a dynamic panel of students to discuss bullying and solutions. (Gallaudet Daily Digest.)

Lafayette College Looking at Ombuds Program

In response to a recent campus climate survey, College President Daniel H. Weiss said that he is considering the establishment of an Ombudsperson’s office among other proposals to improve diversity, inclusion and mutual respect. The private liberal arts and engineering college in Easton, PA has not previously had an Ombuds program. Additional details have not been made public. (Lafayette News.)

Penn State Names Ombuds for College of Education

Pennsylvania State University has appointed Bill Carlsen to serve as Ombudsperson for the College of Education. It appears that this is a new program for the College (one of 14 at Penn State). The position is authorized and elected by Senate Faculty action, and primarily serves faculty.

Job Posting: Kaiser Permanente San Diego

KP is hiring a full-time Health Care Ombuds/Mediator for its facility in San Diego, CA. 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."

National Institutes of Health Profiles Three New Ombuds

A recent article in the NIH employee newsletter introduces three new members of the Office of the Ombudsman/Center for Cooperative Resolution, David Michael, Linda Myers and Lisa Witzler. They report to Director Howard Gadlin and join Associate Ombuds Linda M. Brothers, Kathleen Moore and Samantha Levine-Finley.

Cal Caucus Calls for Service Excellence Award Nominations

The Organization of the California Caucus of College and University Ombuds is seeking nominations for its annual award honoring professional service which will be given during the 2011 meeting at Asilomar on November 6-9. 

United Nations Promotes Regional Ombuds to Office Director

The UN has announced the appointment of Kyoko Shiotani as the Ombudsman and Director of Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services. Prior to her appointment, Shiotani served as the Regional Ombudsman in Vienna since November 2009. She has worked at the UN since 1992 in a range of other positions, including an 11-year stint as a Political Affairs Officer in the Asia and Middle East Division of the Office of Operations in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Job Posting: University of California Berkeley

The UC Berkeley Student Ombuds Office is hiring an Assistant Ombudsperson. The half-time position serves as the first point of contact for the office and provides assistance to all students, post-doctoral appointees, and members of the campus community who interact with students.

Congressional Budget Office Releases Cost Estimate for New TSA Ombuds Program

The federal agency that provides economic data to Congress has estimated the costs of implementing the Transportation Security Administration Ombudsman Act of 2011. The bill, HR 1165, would revise the Transportation Security Administration Ombuds program. Based on the appropriation figures contained in the bill, the CBO estimates that implementing HR 1165 would cost $1.725 million over the 2012-2014 period. Meanwhile, the bill itself languishes in the House Committee on Homeland Security. (Congressional Budget Office.)

Princeton Names Corporate Mediator to Serve as Next University Ombuds

Princeton University has hired Wokie Nwabueze, a vice president for ethics and employee resolution programs at Prudential Financial, as its next Ombuds Officer. Provost Christopher Eisgruber said Nwabueze, "has a demonstrated ability to work with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, and she has a profound appreciation for the ethical role of an ombuds officer."