Melody Reifel Werner

Protecting University Integrity: Managing Risks in Intercollegiate Athletics Melody Reifel Werner

Colleges and universities face significant risks related to intercollegiate athletics. Institutions must comply with literally thousands of NCAA rules, as well as privacy and gender-equity laws and safety policies. The consequences of noncompliance with rules, laws, or policies have ranged from losses of scholarships, competitions, and revenue to scandals, lawsuits, and personal tragedies. The traditional approach to athletics compliance has been to apply preventive efforts equally against all potential lapses and violations. This book suggests a new approach to athletics compliance: the use of risk management. It describes the experience of one institution that carefully and thoroughly applied the tools and principles of risk management to intercollegiate athletics. This book should be especially useful for higher-education administrators who must guard their institutions against risk, as well as for athletics compliance professionals who help their athletics programs stay in compliance.