Seattle University Looking to Open Ombuds Office

The 7,500-student Jesuit Catholic university has been considering an Ombuds program since the concept was approved by the Academic Assembly three years ago. Recently, the propsal has been revived and the SU trustees have allocated money for an IOA-compliant office (estimated to be between $200,000 and $500,000). Nonetheless, it may years more before the office is created. The plan would create a part-time Ombuds that would serve exclusively faculty and staff. One of the leading Organizational Ombuds, Toni P. Robinson is an alum of SU Law School. (SU Spectator; MIT Ombuds Office.)

Ryerson University Ombuds Reports Spike in Academic Concerns

In her report covering the 2008-09 academic year, Nora Farrell said that concerns about academic advice rose 12% from the prior year. The Ombuds for students at Ryerson handled 586 matters and more than half involved academic issues. Farrell also saw marked decreases in cases involving admissions and curriculum advising. The published report also includes a response from the Provost and Vice President-Academic, and Vice President-Adminintration and Finance regarding the Ombuds' recommendations. (Ryerson Ombuds 2008-09 Report; Ryerson Eyeopener.)

Related posts: Ryerson Ombuds Blames Professors for Rising Misconduct Charges; FCO Selects New Board and Officers.

12th Annual ABA Dispute Resolution Conference Set for San Francisco

The American Bar Association Section on Dispute Resolution convenes its annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency on April 8-10, 2020 (the same days as the IOA conference in New Orleans). The schedule for the world's largest dispute resolution conference is being finalized. Announced sessions that may interest Organizational Ombuds include:

• Clientology: The Applied Science of Private Sit-Down Speaking with Clients
• Got Game? Using Game Theory to Understand, Manage, and Resolve Disputes
• Calm in the Face of the Storm: Spiritual Daily Practice for the Peacemaker
• The Art and Science of Communicating Across Cultures: Advanced Skills in Negotiation and Communication
• How to Help Clients Make Better Decisions Through Psychological Tools and Systematic Risk Analysis
• The Healthcare Follies: Teachable Moments For Negotiators and Conflict Management Practitioners
• Mediating the Non-Litigated Case: Commercial, Political, and Executive Disputes
• Gazing Into the Crystal Ball -- What Will Business Conflict Look Like in 25 Years?

Early registration is now open. (ABA ADR Conf. Info.)

Related posts: ADR Conference in New York (2009); ABA Publishes First Book About Organizational Ombuds.

Organization of News Ombudsmen Revamps Website

The association of mainstream media watchdogs dramatically reorganized and expanded its Internet site. ONO promises that the new site will be an important source for media criticism and a necessary companion for navigating the news. The site provides commentary by news Ombuds around the world, a public forum, information on members, and links to related resources. (ONO Press Release; Media Bistro.)

Related posts: News Ombuds Also Vulnerable to Budget Cuts; Organization of News Ombudsmen Appoints First Executive Director; Organization of News Ombudsmen Director Argues for 'Cyberombudsmen'.

Profile of National Naval Medical Center Ombuds

The latest issue of DC Military Journal features a story of Barbara I. Moidel, who has serve as the Ombudsman/Mediator at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. Moidel her career at the Navy's flagship medical center in 1980 in speech pathology. After mediating for other federal agencies, Moidel designed and created NNMC's Organization Ombudsman and Mediator Program in 2001, the Navy's first Organizational Ombuds office in a healthcare setting. The program later expanded to the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA, the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and will soon be implemented at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, CA, and the Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan.

The NMMC program was renamed the Healthcare Mediation Program in 2007, but Moidel continues her Ombuds work with patients, family members and the public as Special Assistant to the Commander and Deputy Commander. She also serves as the Specialty Advisor to the Navy Surgeon General for Healthcare Mediation. Moidel earned her BS from Ohio University and a MA in Speech Pathology from Western Michigan University. (DC Military Journal; see also, Resolve Advisors Bio.)

Related post: Navy Marks Ombudsman Appreciation Day.

Florida Gulf Coast University Interviewing Prospective Ombuds

Nearly eight months after soliciting applications for a University Ombuds, FCGU is now conducting on-campus interviews. The person hired will head an office established by Charles McKinney and currently run by Interim Ombuds, Melissa McIntosh. (FGCU Notices.)

Prior post: Job Posting.

IOA Announces Board Election Results

The International Ombudsman Association announced the results of the Board election which was reheld because of concerns about the publication of candidate information. The following individuals were elected to the Board of Directors for three-year terms beginning April 2010:

• Wayne Blair, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Nick Diehl, National Institutes of Health
• Carolyn Noorbakhsh, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Donna Douglass Williams, World Health Organization

Also elected as the Associate Member Representative for a two-year terms, was Kerry Egdorf of Marquette University.

Prior Posts: Balloting Opens for IOA Board of Directors; IOA Voids Election Results, Reopens Voting.