Unusual Name, Important Service

The role of an ombuds (or ombudsman, ombudsperson, ombud, or ombuds officer) dates to 1809, when the Swedish parliament appointed an "umbothmathr" ("commission man"), or people’s representative, to resolve problems in the absence of the country’s king.

In the 1960s, ombuds offices proliferated on campuses across the nation in response to student unrest. Today, there are hundreds of educational institutions which offer the services of an ombuds as a conflict management resource.

At CSU Channel Islands, the University President established the Ombuds Office in 2019 to develop enhanced means of addressing workplace concerns and to improve fairness and equity in conflict management. In 2022, the Ombuds Office began serving students as well.

The professional organization for university ombuds is the International Ombuds Association (IOA), which was formed in July 2005 following the merger of the University and College Ombuds Association (UCOA) and The Ombudsman Association (TOA). For further information about the role of an organizational ombuds and how it supports accountability, ethics and good governance, please click on the following links:

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