On 1 November 2013, the Ombud’s Office hosted a workshop entitled:

The University Ombud: Potential, Pitfalls & Limitations

The Office of the Ombud hosted a one day workshop at the UCT GSB (Graduate School of Business at the V & A Waterfront) on the 1st November 2013 which was attended by 37 participants. The aim of the workshop was to discuss matters of mutual concern in the ombudsing field, to become acquainted with different ombuds, their approaches, and to share lessons learnt with universities that do not, as yet, have ombud’s offices. Participants valued the opportunity to engage and connect with colleagues, compare notes and share about what works, as well as discuss the challenges, opportunities and advantages of having an ombud’s office. It is hoped that, as time goes on, this group will develop a community of practice for ombudsing in the South African Higher Education landscape.

Workshop Agenda

Please peruse the presentations of various keynote speakers and post-workshop resources.

Feedback from the participants – a selection:

  • I think the meeting was a great success and fulfilled a real need as was evident from the participation and the discussion.
  • Crucial for those who still have to initiate the ombud’s office and offered an opportunity to those who already have this office for benchmarking.
  • Thanks for the workshop. it was long overdue and I learnt a lot from the engagements with the peers.
  • Very well presented; logical progression; very relevant to my needs. Valuable. hopefully will lead to an established community of practice. Well done to organisers and congratulations for taking this action.
  • A very good introduction to the subject. The very clear message was that there is no “one size fits all” solution.
  • Long overdue; valuable; well organised.