Meet the Ombuds

Hello! I am delighted to be joining the University of Idaho as the new Ombudsperson. I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated with communication — with how we do it and with how often it doesn’t work as intended. Even as a young child, when I wanted so badly for the people I loved to understand each other, I would listen to them talk, watch them misunderstand one another and then jump into their conversation to explain where they had misinterpreted a perceived intent, a tone of voice, a facial expression or a choice of words.

I am passionate about facilitating effective and respectful communication and working with people to build their communication skills so that they are confident in their ability to work through challenging situations and conversations. I am fortunate to dedicate my professional time and energy to doing exactly that. And I am delighted to have the opportunity, now, to do that in my favorite environment — higher education.

I appreciate being a part of a community of people who are dedicated to learning, and I am inspired by working with people whose life experiences may be different than my own and so can teach me how to view a situation or an experience from a different perspective. This position is a beautiful fit for me, and I look forward to meeting many of you in the next few weeks and months.

Laura Smythe
University Ombuds