Strategic Risk Management Course Outline

Week 1: Defining Strategic Risk Management

  • Introduction (course format; use of Webinars; guest lecturers etc.)
  • Defining Risk/ Strategic Risk; Risk Management; Enterprise Risk Management
  • Defining Leadership in Risk Management
    • What does it mean?
    • What do you need to do first?
  • Defining your Role in department and externally within University
    • Risk Management Committee; Training; Emergency Response; Communication
  • Defining Outcomes
  • Positioning the Risk Manager
  • Defining your department risks
    • Which risks?
    • What are challenges/ barriers?
    • What are your ‘sweaty palm’ issues?
  • Communicating with your course partner

Week 2: Assessing and Prioritizing Risks

  • Creating a Risk Map for the department
    • Using the risk matrix
  • Prioritizing risks
    • Reviewing tools to identify and assess risk
    • Developing a Risk Identification and Rating Grid
  • Developing a simple Audit Tool
    • Conducting a ‘Big Picture’ department risk audit
  • Drafting ‘Department Guidelines’ for risk management in key areas:
    • Supervision/Instruction; Training; Facilities/Equipment; Emergency Response

Week 3: Focusing on the Key Elements of the Risk Manager Job

  • Training
    • Identifying training needs, options and delivery mechanisms
    • Department vs. Unit training (global vs. local)
    • Developing Training Grids
  • Emergency Response/ Crises Management
    • Identifying current/future protocols and training
  • Risk Management Committee
    • Role; training; succession planning

Week 4: Defining your External Role; Pulling it all Together

  • Risk Management in larger context
    • Campus Recreation and the University
  • Enterprise Risk Management
  • Establishing key relationships and identifying University champions
  • The University Risk Manager
  • Identifying ways to position department as a Risk Management leader
  • Pulling it all together
    • Developing your department Risk Management Plan
    • Making a presentation to the Director and department
    • Getting endorsement for your plan – and your role as Risk Manager

The Risk Management Best Practice program provides institutionally-specific feedback allowing our University Recreation department to prioritize areas for improvement to enhance the safety and well-being of our participants.  The thorough analysis by areas of operations provides our staff tangible information to determine our next steps and most effective course of action.  This feedback would take much longer and be less objective if we attempted to undertake the reviews on our own. The comparative data is good for learning trends in best practices of other institutions.

George M. Brown

Assistant Vice Provost,
Director of University Recreation and Wellness
The University of Minnesota

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