Reference Book on Student Plagiarism Includes Ombuds Chapter

The Handbook of Academic Integrity is a living reference work that brings together diverse global perspectives on academic integrity in higher education. Emma Thacker, an Ombuds Officer at the University of Toronto, has contributed a new chapter, "Academic Integrity and the Canadian University Ombudsperson." 

University of Cape Town Appoints Permanent Ombuds

Earlier this month, Nashira Abrahams was appointed the Ombud for South Africa's flagship public research university. She will continue a program established by Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa, CO-OP, and held on an interim basis by Ihron Rensburg for about a year. Abrahams will supervise Rashieda Khan, the Assistant Ombud. Together, they serve all members of the university community, practicing to IOA standards. Abrahams is expected to serve an initial five-year term.

Williams College Chooses its Next Ombuds

Bodi Regan has been announced as the new Ombuds for the private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He follows Waged Jafer, who established the program and recently moved to the University of Pennsylvania. Regan brings significant ADR experience to the position, most recently as Interim Ombuds for the University of California System. In this part-time role, he will serve all of Williams' faculty and staff, and report to the college president.

San Mateo County Community College District Backtracks on Ombuds Plan

In February, the community college system in California (just south of San Francisco County) announced plans to hire its first Ombudsperson. The new position was expected to serve nearly 50,000 stakeholders across three campuses. Then, at it's April meeting, the SMCCCD Board of Trustees approved the new position of Chief Diversity Officer/Ombuds. The revised position is clearly outside the standards of practice due to the inherent conflicts of duty. Direct efforts to dissuade the Board Chair were unavailing. (SMCCCD Jobs; San Mateo Almanac.)

OMV Petrom Ombuds Posts 2022 Annual Report

In his latest annual report, Ion Anghel, Director of PetrOmbudsman Department, says that his office handled 823 cases in 2022. This number has been stable for the past five years as the program approaches its ten-year anniversary. The two top categories of concerns were: Compensation & Benefits; Organizational, Strategic & Mission Related; and Safety, Health & Physical Environment. Nearly thre quarters of the visitors sought Ombuds services directly from team members doing regular field visits. (PertrOmbudsman 2022 Report.)

One Year After Lawsuit, University of Mississippi Honors Ombuds

One year after University Ombuds, Paul Caffera, settled his civil suit against Ole Miss, he has been given an Outstanding Staff Member Award. (Ole Miss News.)

Job Posting: University of Iowa

The public research university in Iowa City will expand its Ombuds Office with the hiring of an Assistant Ombudsperson. The new, full-time position will report to University Ombudsperson, Chanelle Reese, and serves faculty, staff and students, including all of UI Healthcare. Extensive training will be provided.

American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Names First Ombuds

Kathleen Canul has been selected to serve as the Ombuds for ASECS, the academic society for historical humanities research. The society opened a search for an Ombuds in August 2020. Canul is the former Campus Ombuds for UCLA and has also served as the Ombuds for several other professional associations. (ASECS Ombuds.)

Free Demo for Ombuds Case Management App

On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at noon Pacific, Clare Fowler of Mediate.com will offer a free demonstration of Ombuds.org, a cloud-based case management platform. (Mediate Registration.)

Job Posting: Denver Public Schools

DPS, the second largest public school system in Colorado, is hiring an Associate Ombudsperson. It is not clear whether this is a search to expand the DPS Office of the Ombuds or to replace a former staff member. (Until recently, Darlene LeDoux was the Ombudsperson and Antoinette Hudson was the Associate Ombuds; the office's website now only lists Hudson.) The position will assist in providing Ombuds services for 15,000 DPS employees across more than 200 school sites.

Job Posting: Syracuse City School District

The public school system with 20,000 students in Upstate New York is hiring a Director of Ombuds. The position description is confusing and includes some conflicting language. The new position is charged with "soliciting and taking complaints about student discipline from parents, students, and community advocates, investigating and evaluating these complaints, and serving as liaison with the SCSD administrative staff" while being "guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, confidentiality, and informality." The full-time position reports to SCSD's Chief of Student Support Services and is part of a district-wide reform effort. 

University of Missouri Names First Faculty Ombuds

Mizzou, Missouri's flagship public research university in Columbia, has appointed Pamela (Hinton) Bruzina as its first Ombudsperson, effective July 1, 2023. According to an email from the Provost, Bruzina "is a designated neutral facilitator who contributes informal assistance and impartial conflict and dispute resolution to MU faculty." She has colleagues at University of Missouri–St. Louis and University of Missouri–Kansas City. Meanwhile, the University of Missouri System is also in the midst of a search for its first Ombuds. 

New Ombuds to Restore Program at University of Denver

Betty Iglesias Snyder is the new Ombuds for DU, the private university in Colorado. In this part-time position reporting to the chancellor, Snyder is reviving a program shuttered for three years following the retirement of its founding Ombuds, Jenna Brown. As Ombuds, Snyder serves over 16,000 faculty, staff, and students and practices to IOA standards.

Job Posting (RFP): State Bar of South Dakota

South Dakota's state bar association is planning to establish an Ombuds program for members and legal professionals who work with, and for, its 3,000 members. The new Ombuds would work as independent contractor from August 2023 through July 2024. "The Ombuds selected must be able to address sexual harassment complaints involving State Bar members and others involved in the legal system." The services can be performed in person or remotely.

World Food Programme's Expanded Ombuds Office Reports Case Growth in 2022

In 2022, the WFP expanded its Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services when Dolores Gómez-Morán, CO-OP, joined Ombudsman and Director, Gabrielle Kluck. According to a just-released annual report, the office was was able to meet the need of a huge increase in visitor demand. In 2022, the WFP Ombuds recorded 692 visitors, a 60 percent increase over the previous three years and more than three times the number of cases in 2016. Last year, the office made 23 field visits, which lead to a significant grown in visitors from

COFO 2023 Annual Conference: Call for Presentations

The Coalition of Federal Ombudsman has announced that it is now accepting proposals to present at its 2023 Annual Conference on October 13, 2023. The conference typically draws over 200 attendees from across the Ombuds profession and broader ADR community. The conference will be a hybrid event, returning to an in-person conference setting in Alexandria, VA this year, but continuing to also offer options for virtual attendees. Therefore, COFO is soliciting proposals for both virtual and in-person presentations and would like to have a mix of both at the event.

Call for Contributors: Ombuds in Emerging Sectors

Natalie C. Fleury, one of the Ombuds at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is working on the Emerging Sectors in Ombuds Practice Chapter for the International Ombuds Association’s first book, The Organizational Ombuds: Foundations, Fundamentals & Its Future. (See below for the description of "emerging sectors.") If you are working in a sector that you feel should be part of that chapter, please reach out by 4:00 pm Central on June 1st. (Emerging Ombuds.)

Job Posting: UN World Food Programme, Rome

The food assistance branch of the United Nations is hiring a Ombuds Officer and Data Manager. The consultant position reports to the Ombudsman and Director, Gabrielle Kluck, and provides range of conflict resolution services to WFP employees. The contract will last 11 months.

Job Posting: Space Telescope Science Institute

STScI. the organization that provides operational support for the Hubble, James Webb, and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescopes, is seeking its first Ombuds Consultant. The full-time (that's what the post says) position will establish an IOA-compliant program to provide Ombuds services to about 700 employees primarily on the campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Job Posting (RFP): Agronomy Crop and Soil Science Societies

The American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America are seeking proposals for an Ombuds for their joint annual conference in St. Louis, Missouri, October 29-November 1, 2023. The contract would require pre-conference training of leadership, the in-person services during the conference, and post-conference follow up (including a written report) through December 2023. This would be the first Ombuds for any of these professional associations. There also is related opportunity to train ASA-CSSA-SSSA volunteers on "how to appropriately assist and identify bias, harassment, and inequities for bystander intervention."