2009 HUMANE Conference 'Identifying and Managing risks in Universities'


King’s College London, Friday 12 to Saturday 13 June, 2009

The speakers selected will offer a broad overview of risks, risk assessment and risk management in universities and in university governance. Presentations will come from a broad geographical spectrum - Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The speakers are chartered auditors, internal auditors, active and retired heads of administration and a Planning Officer:
  • Steve Clark , KPMG, giving a professionals insights in risk assessment and management.
  • Inga Astorsdotter, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, (to be confirmed) will follow up with how this is applied in Swedish institutions of higher education.
  • Hans Modig, former Head of Administration at Lund university and secretary to a Swedish study on autonomous public universities will give us a historical background
  • Søren Hartz, (University of Copenhagen), will look at risks from an agricultural universities point of view.
  • Harry Fekkers (Universiteit Maastricht)) and Gustau Folch (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona)  in their presentations will look into risks to the university governance
  • Esa Hämäläinen (Theatre Academy Helsinki) and Sue Hybart (Cardiff University) will give us examples of how risk assessment has been a part in major change projects.
The conference is a good opportunity to get an overview and understanding of challenges to university managers, described from a different perspective. This perspective might well come to influence governance of our institutions the next decade. As usual there will be rich opportunities to discuss with colleagues, in sessions, in breaks and during the Saturday afternoon social programme.


Conference Abstract

Administration is all about reducing uncertainty. If there was no uncertainty, most HUMANE members would be in other careers. Parts of this uncertainty is identified as risks. As an effect of some US scandals, auditors shifted there responsibilities onto management by requesting that the organizations should identify and manage risks. This procedure has spread to Europe, and in some states risk management is one of the prescribed procedures in the public sector.

We have reason to believe that risk management will be an identified activity in most large institutions in a not too distant future. Even if risk is not yet spelt out as an issue in your national system, this conference gives you opportunity to reflect on what might happen, what the effects might be, how effects could be reduced and how you would stand up to your responsibilities if the worst happened.

The kinds of risks that we run differ from institution to institution. But there are some common categories:
  • All institutions have the responsibility to provide researchers, teachers and students with a safe and secure working environment. We try to provide this whilst we on he other hand are expected to be institutions open to society.
  • We all live with the risk of loss of property, through theft, fire or accident.
  • We all run financial risks; less evident and important to public agencies; vitally important to those who are private entities.
  • Some of us own our buildings and have to build reserves for maintenance. (A friend of mine on a study visit to Notre Dame in the late 90’s fired the final question to the almighty President: “What’s the biggest challenge for the next millennium? Answer: The plumbing!)
  • We also have to consider scientific risks. How do we protect the intellectual property, whether it belongs to the institution, the teachers or the students. That is not only a matter of financial responsibility,  it is also our responsibility that they don’t loose results which has cost time out of time of the scolars’ lives, time that cannot be replaced.

The conference aims to give insights in the nature of these risks and examples of how institutions identify risks and how risks are reduced or accounted for through presentations from Keynote Speakers and contributed papers.


Timing

The Conference was held on Friday 12th June till Saturday 13th June and was followed by a social programme on Saturday afternoon and evening.


Social Programme

A full social programme will be included for all participants including a special programme for accompanying people on the Friday afternoon.


Conference Fees

HUMANE Members and Winter School Alumni Network Members €495
AHUA Members €495
Non-members €695
HUMANE Friends and Accompanying People (for the social program only) €160