New position at the Hebrew University: Student Ombudsman
Prof. Esther Shohami appointed
Prof. Esther Shohami, the Hebrew University's student ombudsman (Photo: Sasson Tiram)
The Hebrew University has announced the appointment of a Student Ombudsman who will address student complaints about the conduct of the university administration and faculty. Prof. Esther Shohami was appointed to the new position.
In her role as Ombudsman, Shohami will address complaints from students and applicants about academic or administrative matters. The Ombudsman will be entitled to check whether decisions were made without arbitrariness or bias, and recommend corrections to the decision regarding the plaintiff. The University authorities will cooperate with the Ombudsman, provide her the necessary information and explain their decision on the matter. the Ombudsman will submit a recommendation to the Rector, who will rule on the matter.
Upon assuming her new role, Prof. Shohami said, ''Among members of the University community -- students, faculty members and administrators -- there should be a relationship based on the principles and values of trust, fairness, respect and mutual understanding. My role is to protect students' rights within the protocols and procedures of the University, at the same time upholding these principles and values. Naturally in the course of my work I may find my deficiencies in various statutes or procedures, and part of my job, as I see it, is to alert the relevant authorities the these points and to recommend changes.''
A member of the Department of Pharmacology since 1981, Prof. Shohami is engaged in teaching students of medicine and pharmacy and mentoring advanced degree students. Her research focuses on the processes that occur in the brain after traumatic head injury, and in recent years has investigated natural substances such as cannabinoids as protective substances with the potential for drug development. She has held various posts at the university and beyond, and was recently elected president of the Israeli Society for Neuroscience. From 2006 to 2011, she served as Dean of Students.
