International Executive Security Monitor

This group had a poor showing regarding the international security of faculty and staff that leave the country

A recent survey conducted by McKinley International Risk Management finds that most universities and colleges are not taking the steps to adequately protect employees that work or travel internationally on university business.  Many may even have a kidnap and ransom insurance policy but there are several problems and disturbing trends found in international faculty security.  These include all of the following:

1. University Human Resources Departments not knowing where employees were around the world, and having no good way to keep track of when and where employees work and travel internationally.  For example, many commented that university employee benefits, risk management, and human resources “have no way of knowing if the college of business is sending someone to work or travel internationally.”  (This is far from best practices in 2009 where it really is the employers business to absolutely know where employees are around the world.  In most cases HR took very little effort to combat this or did not even see the problem).
2. Kidnap and Ransom insurance strategy is all over the place.  Policies range from stand-alone k&r insurance to programsembedded in other policies like general liability.  Many universities send employees into very high risk locations like Eastern Africa, and have no kidnap and ransom insurance in place whatsoever.
3. University employers were very unfamiliar with the particulars of their kidnap and ransom insurance policy, even where one existed.  Many did not exactly know who is covered, what the country exclusions were, and exactly how to put the plan into action in the event of an abduction.  Most did not know what other potential threats the kidnap and ransom insurance policy would cover like extortion or express kidnap.

Overall, we give universities a D- grade when it comes to kidnap and ransom insurance and other types of measures that should be taken to protect employees traveling or working internationally.  This is the lowest rank of any group we rated including non-profit organizations, missionaries, large corporations, small corporations, and universities.  One of the reasons for the very poor rating was a general lack of coordination between the risk manager, employee benefits, human resources, and what each “College” was doing inside the university. 

In addition, the many State schools brought down the overall rank of colleges and universities in general because of the need to coordinate all risk management and insurance procurement with the State’s capital (in most cases.)  For example, a large State University may have employees in Tanzania for six months but of course, none of the needs of these employees are addressed by the State’s capital, providing insurance benefits for all State employees.  We understand it can be extremely difficult for State universities to make these risk management moves on their own, but we found too much of a prevelance and attitude of “we can do nothing about the situation” and most never truely pursued creative ways they could use to protect employees internationally, without the State involvement. 

Overall, the smaller private universities ranging from Yale to Bucknell rank much higher in international faculty security and kidnap and ransom insurance for universities.