Jeff Chasen receives award from national risk management association

LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas leader has been recognized for excellence in his field by a national organization of higher education managers.

Jeff Chasen, assistant vice provost for employee growth, development, accessibility & inclusion at KU, has been named the first-ever recipient of the Visionary Award, presented by the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA).

The award honors an individual who has “identified a specific need, acted upon it and followed through to develop an innovative program, process or service that enhances the mission of URMIA by advancing the discipline of risk management in higher education in concert with the highest ethical standards.”

In the announcement of the award, the URMIA described Chasen as having developed a community of compliance-related professionals within higher education to share successes and areas of improvement. Chasen began the community three years ago and has curated the group and its conversations, including monthly educational meetings on important aspects of compliance and compliance-related risks, to now include more than 200 professionals.

“Jeff’s commitment to the development of compliance professionals within higher education makes him the perfect recipient for URMIA’s first Visionary Award,” said Jenny Whittington, executive director of URMIA. “He saw the opportunity to bring together those on campuses who deal with compliance issues and has developed a resource that routinely shares proven practices and experiences. His passion for URMIA and the impact it has for campus risk managers is definitely award-worthy.”

The award was presented to Chasen on Oct. 19 at URMIA’s 52nd annual conference in Seattle.

“Although I appreciate this very kind recognition from URMIA, this is a reflection of the strength of KU and, in particular, the Policy Office and the 34 administrative units that make up KU’s Integrity & Compliance Partners Network,” Chasen said. “KU is an established leader in this regard, and all of us who do this work share in the credit.”

Chasen has served as assistant vice provost for employee growth, development, accessibility & inclusion at KU since September. In this role, he leads accessibility and inclusion efforts at KU and plays a key role in defining the university’s strategy and approach to operational excellence as it relates to employee growth and efforts to create and maintain a positive relationship with employees. Prior to this role, he led KU’s Office of Integrity and Compliance since 2012.

For more information, visit the URMIA website.