Athletic Departments Equipped with NCAA Compliance Solution

Source: CFM Partners

“Battle-Tested” on Wall Street, The Athletic Compliance Portal™ Enables a Comprehensive, Proactive Strategy for Governance, Risk, and Compliance Management in College Athletics

Washington, D.C. – November 9, 2015 -- The company that has pioneered Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) management solutions since 1995 for Wall Street’s most successful brands has turned its expertise toward college athletics. Based on the success of its GRC technology solutions for financial services, insurance, and banking industries, CFM Partners developed The Athletic Compliance Portal™ in 2014 to support colleges and universities in their efforts to safeguard the health and futures of student-athletes, coaches, and staff, as well as uphold the standards and integrity of their institutions.

Today CFM Partners announced three of the prestigious NCAA Division I athletic departments currently moving to adopt The Athletic Compliance Portal at various levels. The University of Notre Dame, the College of the Holy Cross, and the University of Virginia (UVA) lead the forward-looking campuses that have realized check-the-box software, printed handbooks, and homegrown brochureware of the past are ineffective in educating, communicating, managing, and monitoring compliance with the policies and procedures of their schools and the NCAA.

“We’ve learned many things about successful compliance and governance during our 20+ years in this field, and two facts stand out,” said Beth Murphy, CFM Partners’ chief executive officer. “First, information must be readily available and well-communicated, while user engagement is monitored and tracked. Second, organizations that commit early and move decisively to improve management and communication of their policies and procedures are most likely to create cultures of compliance, in which the risk of noncompliance and negative incidents is successfully managed and minimized.”

Feedback from the A.D.’s Office

Notre Dame Athletics began working with CFM over a year ago to upgrade the education of its student-athletes and staff about head injuries and concussions. In just a few months, Notre Dame was able to see a positive impact on their objectives.

 “Providing superior protection to the health and safety of our student-athletes is paramount. We have no higher priority,” said Jill Bodensteiner, senior associate athletics director for Compliance and Policy Management. “Our collaboration with CFM to implement the Concussion Awareness Program improved the reporting of, and our ability to, treat these injuries. Our goal is to make education – particularly related to student-athlete health and safety -- a seamless part of Notre Dame Athletics, resulting in the best possible experience for all participants.”

When the Holy Cross Athletic Department reviewed the capabilities of The Athletic Compliance Portal, they realized its value at once. In keeping with their commitment to the well-being of student-athletes, Holy Cross is currently utilizing the CFM portal for concussion awareness and protocol training of student-athletes and staff. Further plans are already in place to make the full range of NCAA, Patriot League, and school regulations accessible on the Portal, too.

“When our student-athletes and their families choose Holy Cross, they entrust us with their health and welfare, along with their futures,” said Nathan Pine, director of athletics at the College of the Holy Cross.  “We take that responsibility seriously. It is our commitment at Holy Cross to provide all of our student-athletes and staff with the tools they need to represent the College safely, successfully, and in keeping with the highest standards of excellence set by our leadership, our institution, the Patriot League, and the NCAA.”

University of Virginia Athletics recognizes the need to engage, educate, and manage athletes and staff when it comes to successful compliance and governance. Beginning with the Concussion Awareness program, UVA is implementing The Athletic Compliance Portal to help them achieve all three of those objectives. Student-athletes, coaches, and athletic staff will be able to complete the concussion course any time, 24/7, on any device that can access the Internet. In addition, whenever a question about concussion protocol comes up, they will be able to find the answers they need, fast. Using their laptop, tablet, or smart phone, all information is available on demand and presented in clear, understandable language.

“In addition to the quality of the content and the Portal’s ease of use, we’ve been impressed with the knowledge and professionalism CFM Partners brings to the table,” explained Ethan Saliba, associate director of athletics and head athletic trainer at the University of Virginia. “This is significant because, when dealing with information that affects the health and well-being of our student-athletes, it is imperative to us that we have the right people on our team. We are looking forward to using The Athletics Compliance Portal to help us keep our student-athletes safe and well informed, as well as continuing to work with CFM Partners. They’ve brought us an excellent solution, and our students deserve nothing less.”

What Are the Advantages of The Athletic Compliance Portal?

From concussion protocols to regulations governing gifts and entertainment, the content provided by The Athletic Compliance Portal is accessible to athletes and staff 24/7 via any Internet-enabled device. The Portal provides them with a single place where they can quickly find information they need when they need it.

• The Portal houses all relevant information, including policies, procedures, training courses, documents, and reference materials.
• Information is more easily learned when it is relevant to the user; so, CFM uses targeted training that is audience-appropriate, whether that audience is composed of student-athletes, coaches, or staff.
• Built in “the cloud,” the Portal provides athletes, coaches, and staff with a centralized platform for communicating, sharing, managing, and tracking information about athletic policies and procedures.
• The Portal simplifies the process of organizing and maintaining policies and procedures for athletic administrators and staff. Policies can be written, revised, reviewed, updated, and tracked in a single location quickly and easily.
• Automated alerts and e-mails notify users when they need to access training and acknowledge completion.
• The Portal tracks each user’s acknowledgment of new information or changes to existing policies and procedures, as well as user review and completion statistics.
• CFM develops 15- to 20-minute Knowledge Blocks™ that address high-risk topics, and can be tailored to incorporate the institution's policies and procedures. Course topics offered in 2015 include:

“Our Wall Street clients discovered that the most effective way to change high-risk behaviors begins with getting their people to pay attention, engage with, and learn the policies and procedures developed to help them do their jobs well, while minimizing risk of negative incidents,” reflected Ms. Murphy. “Our goal for The Athletic Compliance Portal is to help college athletes, coaches, and the programs they represent reduce their risk by cultivating the same engagement and behavior changes. What is ultimately at stake are the futures of talented young people and the integrity of the great schools they attend. Notre Dame, Holy Cross, and UVA are genuine thought leaders in meeting this challenge. Our company is very proud to be working with them and committed to helping them be successful.”

About CFM Partners

CFM Partners is a GRC (governance, risk, and compliance) technology and intelligence solution provider located in Washington, DC. CFM combines innovative technology with deep compliance and industry expertise to deliver integrated, knowledge-based GRC solutions that enhance governance and improve risk management. CFM understands the marketplace, the regulatory environment, and the importance of putting the right tools and information into the hands of the right people at the right time. To learn more about CFM and why its solutions are used by many of the world’s largest and most respected organizations, visit www.cfmpartners.com.