Posted by:  Adam Turteltaub

There are lots of ways to make your organization’s Corporate Compliance & Ethics Week a success.  For Tiffany Turner Lynch (LinkedIn) and her colleagues at Winston-Salem State University that meant timing it to the launch of their compliance training initiative.  They saw the joint effort as an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that supporting a culture of compliance and ethics is the responsibility of everyone and is something that the university values highly.

Before beginning the training, she and the chief counsel met with internal audit to discuss policies that are audited the most.  They also discussed issues that most frequently led to calls to audit and legal.  In addition, they identified issues that are central to compliance in higher education, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  Throughout the week they reinforced elements of the training

They also developed a five-part podcast series, each one featuring a different “no” department:  Internal Audit, Equal Employment Opportunity, Title IX, the police, legal and compliance.  The podcasts served to the lift the veil on what happens when an investigation is conducted.  They demonstrated not just the process, but also that these departments exist to protect the university and its staff.

To add some fun to the celebration they conducted a virtual scavenger hunt.  Everyone who was able to answer all the questions was entered into a drawing to win one of two $100 cash gifts.

As Tiffany reports in this podcast, the results were outstanding.  It helped people understand more about the compliance office, built rapport, raised the comfort level with reporting and engagement with the policy portal.

Listen in both to learn more and get some inspiration for your own Corporate Compliance & Ethics Week efforts.