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WSU risk office flags enrollment, cybersecurity and state budget as top enterprise risks
Summary
University risk officers reported to the Board of Regents that enrollment remains the top enterprise risk, cybersecurity climbed to the top three, and the state budget deficit is exerting wide pressure across operations. Participation in the system's risk scoring rose from 30% to 40% this cycle.
Washington State University's enterprise risk management office told the Board of Regents on Jan. 24 that enrollment remains the university's highest‑scoring risk and that cybersecurity (data security) rose into the top three concerns this year.
"Most of our risks are down in the green," Chief Compliance and Risk Officer Cheryl Hammersall told regents, but she added that the university's highest risks sit in the strategic and operational domain. Hammersall said the enterprise team reduced and refined its risk inventory from about 60 legacy items to 34 focused enterprise risks to make oversight manageable.
Participation in the systemwide risk scoring process increased about 10 percentage points this year, from roughly 30% to 40% of invited leadership respondents, Hammersall said. The scoring uses a state-provided platform (Origami) administered by Washington state's Department of Enterprise Services (DES) and evaluates likelihood and impact across risks.
Hammersall said three risks moved into the top 20 this year: IT governance and oversight; strategic communications; and campus and workplace safety. She also flagged artificial intelligence as its own risk area (AI appeared at number 16 this cycle). "AI gets its own space," she said.
Regents and staff discussed how executive orders and changing federal policy, especially around diversity, equity and inclusion, might pose a near-term political and financial risk to the university. Hammersall said a workgroup led by the provost will review executive orders and their implications for federal funding, grants and Title IV financial aid.
The risk office plans to continue moving enterprise risk management from an inventory exercise toward operationalized processes: integrating risk assessment into budget and strategic planning work, developing metrics and leading indicators, and strengthening risk culture across WSU.
