Tuesday, October 2, 2012

NWACC Needs an Ombudsperson - The U of A has One

The University of Arkansas has a student Ombudsperson and upon recommending to an NWACC CEO that a student Ombudsperson position be instated for their many aggrieved NWACC students, his response was, "What's that?"

An Ombudsperson, ombudswoman, ombudsman is a third-party representative assigned by a large organization or a government to investigate citizen complaints and suggest solutions. An ombudsman's office was established by the Swedish constitution of 1809. The idea soon spread to other Scandinavian countries and later to New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Israel, and some states or provinces in the U.S., Australia, and Canada. An ombudspersons's responsibility is to receive and investigate complaints and to serve as an independent and impartial arbiter in recommending what may be done to satisfy the complainant and/or mediating to resolve conflicts. Ombudspeople are now used in universities, corporations, municipalities, and institutions such as hospitals.

4 comments:

  1. Of course NWACC has no clue what an Ombudsperson is. They don't want one because that would take some control out of their own hands. NWACC governs itself and the their board of trustees are rendered ineffective and useless. They are just figure heads.

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  2. Credible institutions all have an ombudsperson. Since NWACC isn't credible, they don't have one nor do they want one. They should be required by law to have one.

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  3. This tax payer wants NWACC to have a third-party Ombudsperson!

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  4. Yes indeed they do! This was actually suggested to them back in 1998, but that would take too much control away from them, so they've been evading this for well over a decade now.

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