Celebrating a Year of In Practice

It’s been a year since In Practice published our first column. We are thrilled that what started as a conversation among colleagues has developed into a lively public forum discussing the ethical dilemmas we often face as ombuds. The interest in the discussion is clear as the column’s posts regularly receive the largest readership on The Independent Voice blog.

We were pleased to learn that the column’s contents are prompting important real-time conversations in ombuds program staff meetings, one-on-one mentoring sessions, graduate studies classrooms, and at ombuds-related forums. Engagement was our goal - and we hope for even more going forward.

You can join the discussion by sharing a dilemma or drafting a response with an email to [email protected] - or by posting your thoughts in the comments section.

We are grateful to The Independent Voice editor, Bryan Hanson, for his encouragement and support - and to all who have contributed to the first year’s success. We look forward to your continued engagement in the year ahead!

Sincerely,

The In Practice Editorial Panel

Dawn, Howard, Martha, Mary, and Thomas

Thank you to our 2024/2025 In Practice Contributors:

Jenni Allemann, Sean Banks, Josh Canzona, Natalie C. Fleury, Howard Gadlin, Mike Giancola, Don Greenstein, Bryan Hanson, Vivian Hsu, Jenn Mahoney, Tanisha McGill, Dawn Osborne-Adams, Martha Patrick, Reese Ramos, Mary Rowe, Amy Sereday, Jacqueline Villafane, Donna Douglass Williams, Jim Wohl, Thomas Zgambo

In Practice columns:

Dilemma #1: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Dilemma #2: Should I List my degree?

Dilemma #3: Do Ombuds Provide “Emergency” Services?

Dilemma #4: When the Visitor is the Problem

Dilemma #5: Should I be a Brand Ambassador?

Dilemma #6: What Does the Survey Say?

Dilemma #7: Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Dilemma #8: References, Relationships, and Responsibilities: When Should an Ombuds Vouch for Others