The University of British Columbia has appointed an accomplished legal professional to lead a new office serving students.
Shirley Nakata will be UBC’s first Ombudsperson for Students.
The new office will mediate or intervene on behalf of students at UBC Vancouver to help resolve conflicts with professors, staff members or university departments, conducting impartial investigations and providing advice to students. UBC joins other leading North American universities in supporting such a position.
“Shirley Nakata brings to UBC a wealth of legal experience and a history of impassioned involvement in community leadership,” said Prof. Stephen J. Toope, President and Vice Chancellor. “She will be a powerful advocate for fairness, facilitating an open, respectful, and challenging exchange of knowledge, ideas and perspectives at the University.”
The position is jointly funded by the Alma Mater Society, the Graduate Students’ Society and the University.
“The AMS has run an Ombuds’ Office for many years and has seen firsthand the importance it holds within our organization and the University as a whole,” said Michael Duncan, AMS president. “This new position will give a greater legitimacy to the process of conflict resolution within the UBC community.”
"I was very impressed by Shirley Nakata’s background in conflict resolution and her commitment to systemic fairness,” said Mona Maghsoodi, GSS president. “We are extremely proud of the student initiative that started this process and look forward to promoting this new office among the campus community."
Nakata received her BA and LL.B from UBC. She was called to the B.C. Bar in 1989, and worked as an associate in the litigation department of Russell & DuMoulin (now Fasken Martineau). She has also worked as a human rights investigator with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
“A strong and robust Ombudsperson’s Office will help UBC ensure that each student’s experience reflects the core values of fairness, respect and compassion — values that I believe are necessary in global citizenship,” Nakata said.
Nakata was most recently Director, Professional Conduct with the B.C. College of Teachers, where she managed the professional conduct department and the discipline process.
She has been a board member of the B.C. Council of Administrative Tribunals, and is a member of the Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education and the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice. She is a member and has been a board member of the West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund.
Nakata will begin her duties in January 2009.
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