The annual conference of ENOHE (European Network for Ombuds in Higher Education) was held in Covilhã, Portugal, from 12 to 14 June 2024 at the Universidade da Beira Interior with the title: From Plato's Academy to Portugal: Democracy, Diversity, and the role of the ombudsperson in higher education. The theme of the conference resonated with the celebration of 50 years since the restoration of Portuguese democracy.
The conference programme was very busy, with both classic presentations and workshops in parallel sessions, discussing various issues related to the ombudsman profession, from methodology in investigating allegations, to prevention, to the wellbeing of ombudsmen.
The conference itself was preceded by a one-day training programme for ombudsmen organised by experienced lecturers. The program focused on models of how ombuds positions function in a university setting, conflict resolution, and the practice of non-violent communication.
The Czech delegation was very well represented at the training programme and the conference, which was very much welcomed by colleagues from other (not only) European countries and by the ENOHE management as a proof of the development of this role at Czech universities and as a result of last year's extremely successful annual conference held in Prague.
More information about the conference and a link to the detailed programme is available here https://enohe.net/conference/.
