By Randolph Scott, Interim Student Ombuds & Assistant Director of International Programs, University of West Florida
It was an honor to be selected as a recipient of the New & Aspiring Ombuds Scholarship for the 17th Annual IOA Conference. As a new Student Ombuds at the University of West Florida, attendance at the IOA Annual Conference was an incredibly valuable opportunity for me to learn more about the core functions and responsibilities I have as an Ombuds as well as the opportunities I have to make a positive impact on my campus.
I especially enjoyed interacting with other academic Ombuds by partaking in the Academic Professional Sector session where we discussed such topics as “Advising Campus Leaders: Challenges and successful approaches” and “Un-masking Campus: Concerns related to Covid, anti-vaxing, accommodations, impact on families and workforce.” It was also wonderful to meet and interact with Ombuds from the academic and other sectors in Gather.Town. It was really amazing how much this platform mimicked socializing at an in-person conference. I very much look forward to 2023 and joining my colleagues as a slightly more experienced Ombuds in Seattle!