Job Posting: Food and Agriculture Organization

The United Nations agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, looks to continue it's expansion with the hiring of an Ombuds Specialist. The home-based position will provide Ombuds services to FAO employees, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The position reports to the FAO Ombudsman Katya Melluish. The posting indicates that the opening is for a consultant, but there are no additional details regarding the terms of the contract.

Job Posting: University of Wyoming

The public land-grant research university in Laramie has opened a search for an Ombudsperson to serve staff and administrators. The full-time position will practice to IOA standards and will supplement but not be affiliated with the campus's first Student Ombuds, Dilnoza Khasilova, who started in November 2021.

University Ombudsmen Network in Mexico Signs León Declaration

At the European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education annual conference in 2019, representatives from five networks of Ombuds in higher education in Spain, Portugal, Canada, Latin America, and Europe signed the León Declaration. With this document, the organizations agreed to: identify areas of common interests; establish a public electronic forum; encourage each other to participate in respective network activities; and support each other in developing and safeguarding the networks. On May 27, 2022, REDDU (Red de Defensores, Procuradores y Titulares de Organismos de Defensa de los Derechos Universitarios), the University Ombudsmen Network in Mexico, became a signatory.

Job Posting: Food and Agriculture Organization

The United Nations agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger is hiring a Mediator/Conflicts Resolution Specialist. The position primarily serves as a mediator, but also assists with the management of the Ombuds Office. The position reports to the FAO Ombudsman Katya Melluish, who was appointed in August 2020. The posting indicates that the opening is for a consultant to provide remote work, but there are no additional details.

Cal Caucus Posts 2022 Agenda, Opens Registration

Registration is now open for the 2022 California Caucus of College and University Ombuds. Set for November 6-9 at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, the theme will be “Lessons from Tidal Pools.” A defining characteristic of Asilomar is tidal pools. What can Ombuds learn from these diverse and lively communities? Recent challenges have required Ombuds to be adaptive and creative in our response. As Ombuds, how do we build strong, diverse, and resilient work environments? How do we strengthen our individual Ombuds role and create a thriving Ombuds community?

UC San Francisco Adds an Ombuds

Paula Trejo-Phillips has been selected as the newest Associate Ombuds at the University of California, San Francisco. Based on increasing numbers of visitors and institutional support, the office continues to grow. Trejo-Phillips joins Associate Ombuds Kate Flynn and Misty Loetterle, Senior Ombuds Maureen Brodie, and Director Ellen Goldstein.

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Names Next Ombuds

Israela Adah Brill-Cass has been retained as an independent contract Ombud for the collaborative organization that brings together researchers from MIT, Harvard, and Harvard-affiliated hospitals. (Richard Cohen was announced as the inaugural Ombuds for the Broad in May 2021, but it not clear whether he served in the position.) Brill-Cass is also currently serving as the Ombuds for Wesleyan University and Clark University.

University of South Africa Selects Next Ombuds

UNISA, the largest university system in South Africa, has named Linda Mbana as its next Ombudsperson. The office of the UNISA Ombudsman was established by the University Council "to resolve matters in a reasonably expeditious, effective and inexpensive manner." Mbana succeeds Maria Peenze, who held the position for more than five years.

Wageningen University & Research Names Ombuds

Last fall, Jacqueline Schoone was appointed the first Ombudsperson for employees and PhD candidates at WUR, a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands. In this new role, Schoone will serve employees and PhD candidates and "identify and advice on overarching trends." Schoone comes to the position after two years as the Ombuds for the University of Amsterdam (Universiteit van Amsterdam). 

Ombuds as Part of Student Retention Strategy at University of South Florida

In a recent article, the Chronicle of Higher Education examines strategies that the University of South Florida has adopted to raise graduation rates. The role of USF's Student Ombuds, Jennifer Schneider, is highlighted, especially her ability to detect patterns from the many student cases she handles. Her engagement with other campus offices is typical of an effective Ombuds program:

Job Posting: State Bar of California

California's official attorney licensing agency, the largest in the U.S., is hiring a Public Trust Liaison. The job posting, for what amounts to an External Ombuds, appears to fulfill recent promise to create an Ombuds office before the end of the year. Initially, the job will serve as the primary point of contact for external stakeholders with feedback or suggestions, which includes developing public education programs and tools to assist the public with complaints. The Public Trust Liaison will not be involved in attorney disciplinary cases. The job is hybrid and will be located in either San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Job Posting: Jackson College

The community college in Jackson County, Michigan is hiring a Student Resolution Advocate. Despite the job title, the duties include: independently and impartially reviewing complaints and assisting in the resolution; providing confidential and informal assistance to individuals; serving as an advocate for fairness and act as a source of information and referral; recommending changes in college policy and procedures to prevent recurrences of similar complaints; and making informal inquiries. It is not clear how the Student Resolution Advocate relates to the existing Student Ombudsman, Jessica Houston. The position serves about 6,000 students across four campuses.

U.S. Dragon Boat Federation Names First Ombuds

Emily Heizer-Kochman has been selected as the Director of the Ombuds Office for USDBF, the national, non-profit, volunteer organization for the dragon boat sport. She reports that she will be building a program following IOA best practices to serve paddlers, members, and stakeholders nationwide, and at all competitive levels.

Job Posting: University of Minnesota

The Student Conflict Resolution Center for UM Twin Cities is hiring an Ombudsperson. The part-time (10-14 hrs/wk), hybrid job is expected to last at least one year. The position joins a program that serves 52,000 students following IOA and ACCUO standards. 

Journal of IOA Book Review: Bridges Not Blockades

Julia Farmer, the Director of Ombuds Services at the University of West Georgia, reviews Bridges not Blockades: Transcending University Politics, for the Journal of the International Ombuds Association. (Gayle Maddox and Martha Kalnin Diede edited the collection of personal essays about faculty and administrators in higher education, published by Myers Education Press in 2020.) Farmer finds insights that are very relevant for Ombuds.

Job Posting: United Nations, Geneva

The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is seeking a Conflict Resolution Officer Consultant for its offices in Switzerland. The opportunity is virtually identical to another open posting for New York. The consultant will provide on-call Ombuds services for about 33 days before the end of the calendar year. The position will report to the Regional Ombudsman, Nicholas Theotocatos.

New Book Offers Guidance for Higher Ed Ombuds

A new book, Ombuds Work in Higher Education, addresses all aspects of Ombuds work in higher education, from implementation to everyday Ombuds, with consideration of international differences of an Ombuds’ mandate and powers. The book was written by Lies Poesiat, the long-time Ombuds at Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. This is the English version of a book she published last year in Dutch, Ombudswerk in het hoger onderwijs: een praktische wegwijzer.

Meet the First Theatre Ombuds

For the past year, Nathalie Rodrigues de Carvalho has been the Production Ombuds for Smith Street Stage in Brooklyn, New York. Although the 12 year old theatre company is a small non-profit, it has been offering an Ombuds for many of its recent productions. Currently, she is the Ombuds for The Comedy of Errors in Carroll Park. So far, she is the only Ombuds working directly and exclusively for a theatre. 

Job Posting: Pinterest

The social media company will expand its Ombuds program with the hiring of an Ombuds Analyst. The new position will report to Pinterest's Head of Ombuds, Donna Douglass Williams, CO-OP. Duties will include managing and analyzing case data, and identifying systemic issues; Developing reports on case data; Coordinating and supporting Ombuds program case management; and Providing Ombuds services to employees. Work will be performed remotely.

Job Posting: Union for Reform Judaism

The congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America is hiring its first Ombuds. The URJ comprises 846 congregations in the United States and 27 in Canada, with a total constituency of over one million. The new Ombuds will provide "confidential support and guidance with regard to complaints or related questions arising from past and present experiences in URJ communities, including worksites, camps, and programming." Virtual and in-person work will be provided under an hourly contract starting as early as June 15, 2022.