Case in Point
Case in Point: Lessons for the Proactive Manager
“The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started.” - Norman Cousins
The start of a new academic year is one of the most exciting times on a university campus. Freshmen students come with both anticipation and trepidation as they enter a new phase of life. Our returning students bring hopes and dreams as they move a step closer to a career and adulthood. Even sports teams all still have hopes of a championship season. Campus is full of events and activities and with them comes the opportunity to learn and grow. There is no better place to work than a university campus if you ask me.
Yet along with all the events and fun, each new academic year also brings risks. This is a good time to refocus on what I believe is one of the most important roles you have as a university administrator: managing that risk. Each month you read about risk failures across our industry in this newsletter, and our hope is that you learn from these lessons and avoid becoming the headline.
August is a good time to remind our readers of why we do this month after month:
Our goal has always been very simple: we believe it's cheaper to proactively manage risk than to react and remediate crises from risk management failures. We provide an overview that allows you to scan the news events occurring throughout our industry each month and ask yourself, 'How can I prevent this from happening here?' If you realize you have a similar high-risk exposure at your institution from this review, you can do something to proactively reduce the risk. What that 'something' is will depend on the risk, your role, and many other factors; however, doing nothing is a dangerous thing in the world in which we now operate. Our larger goal is to help develop risk-intelligent institutions. We should note that we are not anti-risk. Risk is always going to be with us in life, but we can consider risk and be wise in the actions we take. This is important because any money we spend on remediation, settlements, and investigations is money we aren't spending on education, research, and outreach.
We hope your 2026-2027 academic year is the best yet. We will keep you updated on current and emerging risks in our industry. As we do each month, we invite you to review the issues across higher education with a view toward proactive risk management.
M. Kevin Robinson, CIA, CFE
Vice President
Institutional Compliance & Security
Office of Audit, Compliance & Privacy
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Information Security & Technology Events
Aug 18: UT San Antonio delays start of fall semester after cyber breach - Cyberattack: The University of Texas at San Antonio will delay the start of its fall semester to Monday, Aug. 24, as officials respond to a cybersecurity breach that was identified over the weekend. Classes for the 2026 fall semester were previously scheduled to start on Aug. 19.
Aug 10: Data Breaches Announced by Loma Linda University Health & UCLA Health - Data Breach: Data security incidents have recently been announced by Loma Linda University Health and UCLA Health.
Fraud & Ethics Related Events
Aug 19: Horse-Racing Professor Accused of Illegally Accessing Confidential Data by US Regulator - Ethics: A Memphis economics professor who built his academic reputation teaching students how to bet on horse races is now facing federal-style fraud charges from the sport’s national regulator.
Aug 10: Former CU employee accused of stealing university funding for personal use - Occupational Fraud: A former CU employee is accused of misappropriating thousands of dollars of university provided funding for his personal use, according to a release from the Boulder District Attorney's Office.
Aug 01: SC technical college fires professor who went public about grade inflation - Academic Integrity: An Horry-Georgetown Technical College professor who blew the whistle on grade inflation was fired on July 27, she told The Post and Courier. More than 80 grades were inflated without professors' consent, prompting a state probe that confirmed the Conway-based institution didn't follow its own standards, according to a State Technical College System investigative report, multiple interviews and privately obtained documents.
Compliance/Regulatory & Legal Events
Aug 26: Female swimmers sue over Title IX violation after Hanover cuts team - Title IX: Four members of the Hanover College women's swim team are suing over sex-based discrimination and Title IX violations after the college cut their program.
Aug 26: Rutgers University dean accused of recording ‘upskirt’ videos while on the job - Personnel: A dean at Rutgers University is accused of recording "upskirt" videos while working at the university on a mobile device.
Aug 20: Urologist accused of sexually battering medical students while working for UM - Personnel: An award-winning urologist who was once a professor at the University of Miami ― and who later went to work in Dubai ― is now back in South Florida to answer to allegations that he sexually battered multiple medical students during his time at UM.
Aug 19: Jury sides with UT Arlington professor who accused university of discrimination, retaliation - Title VII: A federal jury has found in favor of a former engineering professor at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) who claimed she faced discrimination and retaliatory firing after she complained about her treatment through the university's internal system.
Aug 19: Harvard agrees to pay $53 million after morgue manager sold body parts - Settlement: Harvard University has agreed to pay a $53 million settlement after its former morgue manager stole and sold body parts donated for scientific research, with a court reportedly approving the plan on Tuesday.
Aug 13: ‘Alienating and cruel’: EEOC files lawsuit against employer for segregating DEI training by race - Title VII: An allegedly racially segregated diversity, equity and inclusion training is at the heart of an U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit against Washington University filed Wednesday. The charging party alleged that she and her coworkers at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center (SCC) were placed into separate Zoom breakout rooms based on race and that she then faced retaliation through termination after complaining to EEOC.
Aug 13: Florida State University hit with federal civil rights investigation over race, sex-based scholarship programs - Title VI & IX: The Trump administration has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Florida State University (FSU) over 32 scholarships accused of discriminating against students based on race or sex, according to a Department of Education (DOE) letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
Aug 11: After settling antisemitism claims, Columbia now faces lawsuit from Palestinian students - Discrimination Lawsuit: A group of current and former Palestinian students and faculty at Columbia University filed a lawsuit this week, alleging that the university discriminated against them because of their Palestinian identity and treated them less favorably than other students engaged in political advocacy.
Aug 10: Kansas professor falsely accused of espionage wants university to pay for firing, harm to reputation - Discrimination Lawsuit: An anonymous tip accusing a Chinese-American chemist and researcher of espionage spurred the University of Kansas into action, notifying the U.S. Department of Justice and building a case against its own employee, Feng "Franklin" Tao said in a lawsuit. The lawsuit is Tao’s second against KU.
Aug 10: Haverford settles with group accusing college of fostering antisemitism - Title VI: Haverford College leaders have agreed to a settlement with a group of Jewish students and faculty members who alleged that the private Pennsylvania institution hadn’t done enough to protect them against antisemitic harassment and discrimination, per a court filing last week.
Aug 08: Miami Dade College Professor Fired After Arrest at Palm Coast Hotel Over Minor - Personnel: A longtime Miami Dade College political science professor is no longer employed by the school after his arrest last month at a Flagler County hotel, where police say he was found in the lobby while a minor girl he allegedly drove there from Jacksonville was discovered hiding in a back stairwell.
Aug 07: Former SIU professor exposed for indecent act on campus pleads guilty to amended charge - Personnel: The former Southern Illinois University professor accused last year of posting videos of himself masturbating in several places on campus pleaded guilty this week to a charge of reckless conduct after admitting he recorded himself doing so in a lecture hall hallway and posted it online.
Aug 07: Justice Department says Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions - Title VI: The U.S. Department of Justice announced it found that Duke University School of Law intentionally discriminated based on race in admissions for its 2023, 2024 and 2025 incoming classes.
Aug 06: Harvard Medical School Professor Charged With Domestic Violence Placed on Leave - Personnel: The Harvard Medical School professor facing charges related to multiple domestic violence incidents has been placed on leave, according to a spokesperson for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Aug 06: Appalachian State Announces Separation of Former Music Professor Following Sexual Misconduct Investigation - Personnel: Appalachian State University has released information regarding the separation of a former faculty member following an investigation into a sustained pattern of alleged sexual misconduct.
Aug 05: NJ woman sues Hofstra over handling of her cardiac arrest during bar exam - Negligence Lawsuit: A New Jersey woman who suffered a cardiac arrest while taking the New York State Bar Exam at Hofstra University is suing the school, alleging staff failed to provide timely emergency aid during the restrictive test.
Aug 04: Former Alabama A&M student sues university, alleging ‘deliberate indifference’ to sexual assault - Title IX; A former Alabama A&M University student has filed a federal lawsuit against the school’s Board of Trustees, claiming university officials ignored warning signs about a former residence hall director accused of sexual assault.
Aug 04: William & Mary professor sues university over disability accommodation dispute - Discrimination Lawsuit: In a federal lawsuit filed on Friday, tenured professor Dr. Kyung-Hee Kim claims William & Mary subjected her to "a pattern of discriminatory and retaliatory adverse employment actions."
Aug 01: Michigan hospital pays $410K to settle lawsuit by physician assistant fired over transgender policy - Title VII: A Michigan hospital has agreed to pay $410,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a physician assistant who said she was fired after refusing to comply, due to her faith convictions, with workplace policies related to transgender patients, according to court filings and statements from the parties.
Campus Life & Safety Events
Aug 26: WTAMU police looking for suspect in aggravated assault near dorms Tuesday night - Assault: West Texas A&M University police are warning students of an aggravated assault as they search for the suspect involved.
Aug 25: LSU student arrested for allegedly threatening university over package - Threat: Police have linked an LSU student to the social media threat that resulted in officials being escorted out of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center during Skip Bertman’s Celebration of Life.
Aug 24: Federal judge blocks FIU from punishing group of students over silent anti-ICE protest on campus - Speech: A group of Florida International University students celebrated a legal victory over FIU administrators. A U.S. District Court Judge granted a motion to enjoin the university from enforcing regulations that punished members of FIU's student-led ICEBreakers group for a silent demonstration.
Aug 21: Campbell University student arrested after alleged threat of mass violence - Threat: A Campbell University student was arrested Wednesday after several members of the campus community reported hearing concerning statements, according to university officials and court records.
Aug 20: VCU suspends fraternity after hazing, assault allegations - Hazing: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) suspended a fraternity for four years after the student organization was found responsible for hazing and assault.
Aug 18: Penn State students accused of operating drug ring out of fraternities - Drug Trafficking: More than a dozen current and former Pennsylvania State University students have been charged in connection with a suspected drug trafficking ring that authorities say operated in and around two fraternities, prosecutors announced Aug. 17.
Aug 15: Police have arrested a 19-year-old in connection with Virginia State University shooting - Shooting: Police arrested a 19-year-old found hiding in a dormitory closet at Virginia State University on Saturday in connection with an overnight shooting on campus that left five people wounded, including one with critical injuries.
Aug 13: Troy University allegedly punished professor over letter criticizing Alabama lawmakers - Speech: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech advocacy organization, is demanding Troy University rescind disciplinary actions allegedly taken against a professor for sending a personal grievance letter to legislators.
Aug 08: Ivy League school bans wild game processing after bear incident - Safety: Cornell University has banned students from processing wild game in community kitchens following a 2025 incident involving the butchering of a black bear in a campus residence hall.
Aug 05: 7 students charged in college hazing incident; Fraternity suspension - Hazing: Seven Indiana University students are facing felony hazing charges for a 2025 pledge initiation event that left two people hospitalized with serious injuries.
Aug 01: FGCU student charged with threat to conduct mass shooting or act of terrorism - Threat: A Florida Gulf Coast University student from Fort Myers has been arrested on a charge of making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, according to court records.
If you have any suggestions, questions or feedback, please e-mail Kevin Robinson at robinmk@auburn.edu or Kristin Roberts at kar0032@auburn.edu. We hope you find this information useful and would appreciate hearing your thoughts. Feel free to forward this email to your direct reports, colleagues, employees or others who might find it of value. Back issues of this newsletter and subscription information are available on our website.
