Our Mission
We strive to provide the best possible counsel, advocacy and personal service to the campus community through our commitment to:
- Fully comprehend the unique needs of our clients
- Develop and deploy programs to prevent, control, and minimize the University's risk of loss
- Provide an effective network of innovative risk management and insurance tools and solutions
- Provide a professional, creative, and results-oriented client support team, and
- Exceed the expectations of the University community and affiliate partners
Frequently Asked Questions
The practice of Risk Management is identifying and analyzing loss exposures other than business risks and taking steps to minimize the financial impact of those risks.
Old Dominion University incorporates Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) methodology and practices into its overall strategic planning.
The Commonwealth of Virginia provides worldwide insurance protection for all State agencies and their personnel through the Commonwealth of Virginia's Risk Management Plan (the PLAN). In general, this coverage includes liability (general, professional, and automobile), property, medical malpractice, automobile physical damage (Car Care), fidelity bond (faithful performance and crime), and watercraft.
Faculty, staff, and other agents who are acting within the course and scope of their employment are covered under the PLAN.
Students are covered only while participating in an authorized scope of a clinical, internship, externship, or other educational program in order to meet pedagogical requirements.
- Call the Virginia State Police (800-582-8350) for off-campus accidents and the University Police for on-campus accidents (757-683-4000).
- Fill out the paperwork located in the Accident Packet located in the glove compartment of all state-owned vehicles.
- Contact your Supervisor.
- Contact the Office for Risk Management (757-683-4009) and complete an Automobile Loss Incident Form within 24 hours of the accident.
- If you're an employee injured while on official business, also submit a Workers Compensation Accident Report form to Human Resources.
No. The owner of a vehicle is financially responsible for losses due to the operation of that vehicle. The Commonwealth of Virginia's Risk Management Plan may provide defense and payment in excess of your policy. The PLAN would still only pay up to $2,000,000 excess of your personal policy limits.
A non-state employee may drive a state owned vehicle if authorized by the appropriate person in the State agency. Anyone driving a State-owned vehicle with authorization on state business is considered an agent and is covered through the Commonwealth of Virginia's Risk Management Plan.
A claim can only be considered if there is clear evidence that the damage occurred as a result of negligence on the part of the University or if a state owned vehicle can be identified as having caused the damage.
The personal property of faculty, staff, students, contractors, and visitors is ordinarily excluded from coverage. The exception to this policy is when the property is a written condition of employment that you provide your own tools, equipment, camera, computer, etc. and that has been agreed to before a loss, then the items are covered. A copy of this agreement must be on file with the Office for Risk Management (ORM) and Human Resources along with an itemized list of the items and their values. This requirement must be documented in the position description (PD) or in a memorandum from the department head to the ORM and Human Resources prior to the loss/damage. Upon the loss or damage contact the University Police (757-683-4000) and the ORM (757-683-4009). Otherwise coverage can usually be found under a homeowner's policy.
The department that owns or operates the property or vehicle is responsible for the damage and comprehensive deductible of $1,000 per occurrence.
If it is at all possible to replace the stolen/damaged item with the same brand and model that was lost, you should do so. The State reimburses the University for replacement with the same model or nearest equivalent. In some cases it isn't possible to replace the item with the exact model due to discontinuation of some items. In those cases, you would need to find the nearest equivalent to the lost or damaged item(s). If you do this you must provide the specifications for the original item and the specifications for the replacement of the like item. If you do choose to upgrade the item, instead of purchasing the same item or nearest equivalent, the Office for Risk Management will reimburse ODU for the cost of the item minus any cost for upgrading the item.
Report the incident to University Police (757-683-4000) and the Office for Risk Management (757-683-4009).
The University insures all the property it owns, on and off campus. Under certain circumstances it also insures property departments rent, lease, or borrow. Property coverage is worldwide and is based on the actual replacement or repair cost. Further, there is a $1,000 deductible per claim, paid by the department(s) that suffered the loss.
If there is imminent danger call 911, otherwise notify the department responsible and the Office for Risk Management (757-683-4009).
If you know someone who may be going through a difficult time or has raised safety concerns with their speech, behavior, or gestures, you may also report your concerns to the University's Threat Education Assessment Team (TEAM) by completing a Concern Referral Form.
First seek medical attention. If the injury is serious contact University Police (757-683-4000) and the Office for Risk Management (757-683-4009). If you are an employee, contact Human Resources regarding Workers' Compensation and file a Workers' Compensation Accident Report.
No, all vendors, contractors, and other groups using ODU property must show proof of their own insurance.
It is strongly recommended that a written contract or memorandum of understanding be prepared that states the responsibilities of both parties. In general, the landlord should be responsible for the safe condition of the facility. ODU should be responsible for only the event and the negligent acts or omissions of its employees and agents. Items like security, parking, and maintenance should be addressed in the contract. If the landlord insists that ODU indemnify, hold harmless, or make the property owner an additional insured, the matter must be referred to the Office for Risk Management (ORM) and/or University Counsel. In addition, if requested, OCRM will send the other party a Certificate of Insurance that will demonstrate ODU's insurance coverage.
The Office for Risk Management (ORM) provides proof of insurance coverage. If you need to provide proof of coverage and there is no MOU, contract, or other written agreement you can download and email the company/institution the Memorandum of Liability Coverage document or send them this link.
If there is an MOU, contract, or other written agreement our office will need to review the document for compliance with the Commonwealth Risk Management Plan and Tort Claims Act. You can then upload the document as an attachment when you submit your Request for a Certificate of Coverage/Insurance online at this link. All written agreements must comply with Policy #1500: Delegation of Authority for Contract Approval and be approved by University Counsel.
Certain Schools and Colleges, due to the volume of certificates being issued, have a contract pre-approval process in place for affiliation agreements. This pre-approval process should continued to be used for those schools and colleges in need of a certificate of coverage/insurance.
Contact the Office for Risk Management prior to putting the watercraft in service. Be prepared to provide the following information:
- Appraisal, with value, of watercraft
- Hull make, size and identification number
- Only certain campus officials are authorized to sign contracts on behalf of the University. Before anything else, consult University Counsel and/or Department of Procurement.
- For purchase orders and procurement contracts, boilerplate language specifies the kind of insurance the vendor is to supply, so queries should be directed to the Department of Procurement.
- For leases or other contracts involving the use of outside property, consult University Counsel and/or Department of Procurement.
- These offices coordinate their insurance strategies with the Office for Risk Management, so there's no need to call us directly.
No. Students performing internships/externships per externship/internship/affiliate agreements are not volunteers.