Job Posting: Daemen College

The private liberal arts college in Amherst, New York is hiring its next part-time Faculty Ombudsperson. The search will fill a position established by William C. Barba in 2018. The independently contracted position will serve an initial one-year term, with a possible three-year renewal. The Ombuds will report to Daemen's Vice President for Academic Affairs and practice to IOA standards. 

Job Posting: U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

The major Army command that operates 37 schools and centers for over half a million U.S. soldiers and other personnel is hiring its first Ombudsman. The position is located in the Chief of Staff's Office in Monterey, California. Travel is required and telework is also an option. 

University of Cape Town Vindicates Former Ombuds

Six months after being ousted from her job as UCT's founding Ombud, Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa, CO-OP, has been entirely exonerated of the spurious complaints against her. In July 2020, Makamandela-Mguqulwa's annual report publicly revealed widespread complaints of bullying by the University's Vice Chancellor. The matter quickly escalated when the VC initiated disciplinary charges and threatened litigation. The conflict drew significant press coverage in the legislative capital of South Africa and the university ultimately let Makamandela-Mguqulwa's contract expire. Now, the University of Cape Town has dropped its investigation and paid Makamandela-Mguqulwa her performance bonus. Moreover, UCT has adopted an inti-bullying policy.

Job Posting: Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA's Alternative Dispute Resolution Division (in the Office of the Chief Counsel) is hiring for two positions: Full-Time Deployable Field ADR Advisor and Intermittent On-Call Reservist ADR Advisor. Both are assigned to the Washington, DC office. but deployment to disaster locations is routine. Some telework may be permitted.

Job Posting: Guilford County Schools

The public school district in North Carolina with 72,000 students and 10,000 employees is hiring an Ombudsman. The position reports the Chief of Schools and serves as a key conduit between the community, parents and students and the district office and school teams. 

Job Posting: United Nations, New York

The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is seeking consultant to undertake a four-month "assessment of the organizational health of the program, starting with the group comprising the senior staff."  The work also will include facilitating a tailored two-day meeting among the senior group and providing a documented roadmap with specific activities and milestones for transforming the team’s health.

University of Michigan-Dearborn Names First Ombuds for Staff

On September 1, 2021, Jacqueline Bowman will become the first Ombuds for non-represented staff at UM-Dearborn. She will supplement existing Ombuds programs for faculty and students. Bowman meanwhile will continue as the Ombuds for staff at UM's flagship campus in Ann Arbor and will assisted by Donna Hooper, who previously helped create the Staff Ombuds program at UM Medicine. 

(Guest Post) Mary Rowe's Further Comments on the Proposed IOA Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by Mary Rowe, IOA Distinguished Emeritus and former Ombuds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was a founder of the Corporate Ombudsman Association, the first professional group for Organizational Ombuds, Adjunct Professor of Negotiation and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and thought-leader in the Ombuds profession.

Franklin University Switzerland Appoints First Ombuds

Earlier this year, Olivia Della Croce, was named the first Ombudsperson for the private, independent liberal arts university in Lugano. In addition to teaching Italian as an adjunct lecturer, Della Croce provides Ombuds services to about 50 FUS employees. A recent news release explained, "As Ombudsperson, Della Croce supports Franklin Staff and Faculty in cases of conflict or disagreement between colleagues, either organizing single sessions or a mediation discussion between the parties."

A Case Study from Turkey's Only University Ombuds

Gizem Güray, the first Student Ombudsman at Altinbas University (Altınbaş Üniversitesi) in Istanbul, has published a study of her work. The article "Student Ombudsman in Turkey: A Case Study" (Türki̇ye’de Öğrenci̇ Ombudsmanliği: Bi̇r Örnek Olay İncelemesi̇") appears in the June 2021 edition of the journal Academic Ombudsman (Ombudsman Akademik). 

Here's the abstract:

ENOHE and ACCUO Open Registration for 2021 Virtual Conference

Details are now available for the joint conference of the European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education the Association of Canadian College and University Ombuds. "Looking Forward: The Role of the Ombuds in the Post-Covid Recovery" will take place online September 21 and 22. Here is the program:

Northern Virginia Community College Creates Ombuds Office

Earlier this year, Tanneh Kamara was named the first Ombuds for the public community college, the third largest multi-campus community college in the U.S. and the largest educational institution in Virginia. Kamara serves a student body of 75,000 across six campuses and four centers. She moves into the role after serving as the Director of Student Success for the past five years. She has also taught business and management courses at NOVA as an adjunct faculty. 

Linguistic Society of America Creates an Ombuds Program

The professional society for the linguistics field has established an Ombuds program for its members. LSA has designated 30 people to serve on its Ombuds Committee. Most are faculty members at universities with Ombuds programs, although none appear to have ever worked as an Ombuds before. According to an announcement, the committee members "have received training materials that will help them prepare for their roles." The Ombuds Committee will be guided by IOA standards (although not explicitly).

MWI Roundtable to Spotlight Ombuds

On October 20, 2021, Chuck Doran will host a Mediator Roundtable for MWI, the dispute resolution firm based in Boston. Doran, who is currently serving as an Ombuds for Iowa State University, will present on, "The Role of the Organizational Ombuds." The Zoom event is free for MWI members and $50 for non-members. 

Job Posting: Nazarbayev University

The autonomous research university in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, is hiring its first Ombudsperson. The full-time position will serve all members of the NU community, including 5,500 students, following IOA standards. (Nazarbayev University was established in 2010 and its international faculty and staff provide instruction in English.) 

Job Posting: Baylor College of Medicine

The private health sciences university in Houston, Texas will expand its Ombuds office with the hiring of an Associate Ombudsman. The full-time position will report to Melanie Jagneuax and serve all members of the BCM community, including 5,500 faculty members and 1,600 students. 

IOA Resumes In-Person Foundations Course in October 2021

The International Ombudsman Association's signature, in-person training course will be offered in Indianapolis on October 25 through 27, 2021. IOA's "Foundations," which provides the primary training for new Organizational Ombuds, has been available only virtually since October 2020. Due to the expected high demand for this course, registration will be limited to people currently practicing as Ombuds or will begin practicing within the next three months. 

Job Posting: Montgomery County Public Schools

The Montgomery County Board of Education in the Washington, DC suburb is hiring its next Ombudsperson. This full-time position reports to the school board of Maryland's largest school district and serves parents, community members, 28,000 employees, and 160,000 students. the MCPS Ombuds "is considered an independent or neutral party who seeks to resolve school-related problems as quickly and efficiently as possible, especially for those for which a formal resolution process does not exist." 

COFO Seeks Presenters for 2021 Conference

The Coalition of Federal Ombudsman will hold its 2021 Annual Conference virtually on October 15, 2021 (the day after Ombuds Day), and its Conference Committee is now accepting presentation proposals. COFO's annual conference is focused on the needs of Ombuds practitioners serving in the federal government, but the day is always an Ombuds-wide family affair and open to anyone either practicing as an Ombuds or interested in ombuds to join us as an attendee or presenter.

IOA Board Sets Feedback Sessions on Bylaws Revisions

In an email to members on Friday, the International Ombudsman Association's Board of Directors announced two Member Dialogues focused on the proposed amendments to the IOA Bylaws & Articles of Incorporation. The email signals that the board sees member engagement as critical for its efforts to update the bylaws. IOA members are invited to register for one of the two meetings on August 12 at 8:00-9:30 am PDT or 4:00-5:30 PDT. After these meetings, the board will consider the members' input and present another proposal at a special member meeting in September 2021.