History of the Profession

The concept of an Ombuds has been around for quite some time. The first historical record of an Ombuds takes us back to 1809, when the Swedish parliament appointed an Ombuds to resolve problems in absence of the country's king. In 1953, the concept of an Ombuds reemerged when Denmark established an Ombuds office to deal with its citizens' complaints regarding the government. In the 21st century, offices of Ombuds proliferated on University campuses across the nation, and now there are at least two-hundred educational institutions which offer the services of an Ombuds as a conflict management resource on campus.