National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2007
« back to 2007 | Back to NCAA News Archive Index
Collaboration key to managing risk
|
By By Marla Peters
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
An educational institution’s athletics program is often one that is high profile — inviting the campus, the surrounding community and sometimes even the nation to enjoy a ringside seat in an arena that can involve significant risks both on and off the field.
For an institution to provide strong yet safe competition, manage large numbers of exuberant fans and protect its image and reputation is a tall order. It requires a broad focus on risk management to ensure that the institution has its athletics program in order.
In November 2006, the NCAA hosted a meeting of representatives from the University Risk Management and Insurance Association, College Athletic Business Management Association, National Association of College and University Business Officers, United Educators, and American Specialty Insurance and Risk Management Services to discuss current challenges in managing risks associated with athletics and identify potential solutions.
The outcome of the meeting was to help NCAA member institutions better manage the risks associated with intercollegiate athletics and to undertake an initiative to foster new collaborations and bridge gaps among college and university financial officers, risk managers and athletics administrators. The initiative will focus on addressing exposures that arise from an institution’s athletics program, such as athletics injuries, transportation of student-athletes, large-event management and crowd control, club sports, managing facilities and equipment, sports camps, and contractual liability.
Through the new initiative, the associations and organizations have agreed to partner to develop and distribute useful resources that can be used on campus. In fact, several such resources exist today (see additional story in The NCAA News online).
In addition to providing resources, the NCAA believes it is important to educate individuals on campus who have a role in managing athletics-related risks on how they can enhance their impact through open communication and collaboration. This article highlights the potential benefits to be realized through collaboration, the hurdles to overcome, and the resources available to aid the effort.
There was consensus among all meeting participants that NCAA member institutions could benefit from better communication between those charged with responsibilities affecting athletics risks, and that a key service the NCAA can provide is to develop tools and educate members on existing risk management tools. Potential benefits include the following:
For example, if an institution’s athletics department has operated autonomously and has little interaction with the risk management or legal department, the institution may consider establishing a cross-functional incident or safety committee on athletics to create better communication. Or, if the institution has a risk management department that has not traditionally focused on athletics issues, the risk manager could learn about existing NCAA risk management tools and use this to start a dialogue with the athletics director, determining also if there are other tools or information that would help the athletics department better manage risk.
The most important step is to identify those individuals on campus who play a potential role in athletics risk management (athletics directors, athletic trainers, financial business officers, risk managers, legal department personnel, purchasing department staff, etc.), and then establish communication.
It is likely that these individuals could benefit each other and the institution by working together to avoid losses and control expenses.
Marla Peters is senior vice president for special programs at American Specialty Insurance and Risk Management Services, the NCAA’s longtime insurance and risk management administrator. For a sidebar on more programming available, see The NCAA News online at www.ncaa.org.
These programs could be used as a topic of conversation to initiate a dialogue between the athletics department and others on campus who have a risk management role.
The following is a brief overview of current resources. Further information can be found on the NCAA Web site (www.ncaa.org).
Also, the task force welcomes ideas about other risk management tools or information that would be helpful, and wants to hear about techniques that have been successful in promoting collaboration between risk management and athletics on campuses. Please send comments and suggestions to Juanita Sheely, NCAA travel and insurance manager (e-mail jsheely@ncaa.org).
NCAA Group Basic Accident Medical Program. This program provides a resource for NCAA member institutions to purchase insurance for student-athlete accident medical expenses within the $75,000 deductible of the NCAA catastrophic-injury insurance policy. The program provides a long-term, stable insurance solution that gives member institutions the ability to view claims online, access information on cost-control methods, and benefit from their own loss control efforts through future premium credits. The NCAA has partnered with Mutual of Omaha, Summit America and American Specialty to offer the program. To learn more about it and how to participate, see the NCAA Web site or call 866/528-6222.
Excellence Management Program. This online self-audit tool is free for NCAA members and allows a conference or institution to evaluate its event risk management practices against guidelines developed by an NCAA task force and industry experts. An evaluation takes about a half hour to complete and, upon completion, provides a summary of risk management considerations for the event. To receive an institutional login to access this program, contact American Specialty at 800/245-2744.
Cheerleading Initiative. The NCAA has partnered with the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) to educate administrators on cheerleading safety and encourage institutions to implement guidelines that will promote safe practices. All institutions have been invited to participate in the College Cheerleading Safety Initiative (CCSI) developed by AACCA. To learn more, contact AACCA through its Web site (www.aacca.org).
Safety in Student Transportation Resource Guide for Colleges and Universities. This publication was a joint project of the American Council on Education, the NCAA and United Educators Insurance. The publication, which can be found at the NCAA Web site, provides examples of programs, policies and practices that institutions have developed for their own students’ safety.
--Marla Peters
For an institution to provide strong yet safe competition, manage large numbers of exuberant fans and protect its image and reputation is a tall order. It requires a broad focus on risk management to ensure that the institution has its athletics program in order.
In November 2006, the NCAA hosted a meeting of representatives from the University Risk Management and Insurance Association, College Athletic Business Management Association, National Association of College and University Business Officers, United Educators, and American Specialty Insurance and Risk Management Services to discuss current challenges in managing risks associated with athletics and identify potential solutions.
The outcome of the meeting was to help NCAA member institutions better manage the risks associated with intercollegiate athletics and to undertake an initiative to foster new collaborations and bridge gaps among college and university financial officers, risk managers and athletics administrators. The initiative will focus on addressing exposures that arise from an institution’s athletics program, such as athletics injuries, transportation of student-athletes, large-event management and crowd control, club sports, managing facilities and equipment, sports camps, and contractual liability.
Through the new initiative, the associations and organizations have agreed to partner to develop and distribute useful resources that can be used on campus. In fact, several such resources exist today (see additional story in The NCAA News online).
In addition to providing resources, the NCAA believes it is important to educate individuals on campus who have a role in managing athletics-related risks on how they can enhance their impact through open communication and collaboration. This article highlights the potential benefits to be realized through collaboration, the hurdles to overcome, and the resources available to aid the effort.
There was consensus among all meeting participants that NCAA member institutions could benefit from better communication between those charged with responsibilities affecting athletics risks, and that a key service the NCAA can provide is to develop tools and educate members on existing risk management tools. Potential benefits include the following:
- Improved management of athletics risks in the college and university setting.
- Increased safety in college and university athletics.
- Reduced liability exposures and financial costs for higher educational institutions.
- Increased protection of the higher educational institution’s overall reputation.
For example, if an institution’s athletics department has operated autonomously and has little interaction with the risk management or legal department, the institution may consider establishing a cross-functional incident or safety committee on athletics to create better communication. Or, if the institution has a risk management department that has not traditionally focused on athletics issues, the risk manager could learn about existing NCAA risk management tools and use this to start a dialogue with the athletics director, determining also if there are other tools or information that would help the athletics department better manage risk.
The most important step is to identify those individuals on campus who play a potential role in athletics risk management (athletics directors, athletic trainers, financial business officers, risk managers, legal department personnel, purchasing department staff, etc.), and then establish communication.
It is likely that these individuals could benefit each other and the institution by working together to avoid losses and control expenses.
Marla Peters is senior vice president for special programs at American Specialty Insurance and Risk Management Services, the NCAA’s longtime insurance and risk management administrator. For a sidebar on more programming available, see The NCAA News online at www.ncaa.org.
Several programs developed
The NCAA has developed several programs that are of interest to individuals who have a role in managing athletics risks. An NCAA “Bridging the Gap” Task Force plans to explore other resources that are available from their respective organizations that may help institutions better manage their risks.These programs could be used as a topic of conversation to initiate a dialogue between the athletics department and others on campus who have a risk management role.
The following is a brief overview of current resources. Further information can be found on the NCAA Web site (www.ncaa.org).
Also, the task force welcomes ideas about other risk management tools or information that would be helpful, and wants to hear about techniques that have been successful in promoting collaboration between risk management and athletics on campuses. Please send comments and suggestions to Juanita Sheely, NCAA travel and insurance manager (e-mail jsheely@ncaa.org).
NCAA Group Basic Accident Medical Program. This program provides a resource for NCAA member institutions to purchase insurance for student-athlete accident medical expenses within the $75,000 deductible of the NCAA catastrophic-injury insurance policy. The program provides a long-term, stable insurance solution that gives member institutions the ability to view claims online, access information on cost-control methods, and benefit from their own loss control efforts through future premium credits. The NCAA has partnered with Mutual of Omaha, Summit America and American Specialty to offer the program. To learn more about it and how to participate, see the NCAA Web site or call 866/528-6222.
Excellence Management Program. This online self-audit tool is free for NCAA members and allows a conference or institution to evaluate its event risk management practices against guidelines developed by an NCAA task force and industry experts. An evaluation takes about a half hour to complete and, upon completion, provides a summary of risk management considerations for the event. To receive an institutional login to access this program, contact American Specialty at 800/245-2744.
Cheerleading Initiative. The NCAA has partnered with the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) to educate administrators on cheerleading safety and encourage institutions to implement guidelines that will promote safe practices. All institutions have been invited to participate in the College Cheerleading Safety Initiative (CCSI) developed by AACCA. To learn more, contact AACCA through its Web site (www.aacca.org).
Safety in Student Transportation Resource Guide for Colleges and Universities. This publication was a joint project of the American Council on Education, the NCAA and United Educators Insurance. The publication, which can be found at the NCAA Web site, provides examples of programs, policies and practices that institutions have developed for their own students’ safety.
--Marla Peters
© 2010 The National Collegiate Athletic Association
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy