As part of our commitment to our values and standards of conduct, Rice University has established a university-wide Ethics and Compliance Program. This program is managed by the Associate Vice President, Ethics, Compliance and Enterprise Risk & Chief Compliance Officer, who reports to the Vice President and General Counsel and the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees.
The scope of the program includes creating and updating the Compliance Matrix, performing gap analysis, reviewing policies and procedures, ensuring accountability through training, and promoting a culture of ethics and compliance across campus. A key component of the program is the Executive Compliance Committee, comprised of members of senior leadership with compliance responsibilities.
Overview of the Executive Compliance Committee
The Executive Compliance Committee meets at least quarterly, and regularly reports (through the Associate Vice President, Ethics, Compliance and Enterprise Risk & Chief Compliance Officer) to the President and the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees. The key objectives of the Ethics and Compliance Committee are:
- Strengthen accountability by ensuring that all aspects of compliance are assigned to specific responsible individuals. Clearly defined accountability is critical
- Ensure that university policies and procedures are effectively communicated across the university and that training resources are in place. Educate staff on compliance matters that are cross-cutting across the university
- Identify areas where university policies and procedures need to be established or strengthened. This will include developing a response to new or enhanced regulatory requirements
- Analyze current processes to look for ways to reduce the administrative burden of compliance (without compromising full compliance with the law)
- Inform the university risk management process and ensure that non-compliance issues are reported appropriately
- Ensure that the university has exercised due diligence with respect to its efforts to establish compliance standards and procedures that identify and prevent wrongdoing
- Help to communicate and promote a culture of compliance at the university.