THE CHALLENGE

The Privacy & Compliance Team at a private research university with campuses in the United States and the EU was struggling in its efforts to develop a data protection training program for a disparate group: faculty and staff as well as current students and alumni.

Despite standing up a solid privacy program, the Privacy & Compliance Team needed assistance in generating awareness of the program. They had already attempted to create documentation and conduct presentations, but attendance was low and feedback was lackluster.

THE DPSA SOLUTION

Working together, DPSA and the Privacy & Compliance Team brainstormed the idea of a traveling Privacy Roadshow that would “tour” departments across the international campuses. This unique idea for a training and awareness program centered around a team of University staff, deputized as Data Protection Leads for their respective departments, who were trained by DPSA on critical privacy and data protection concepts and participated in delivering a more robust and relevant training program.

To increase involvement and help further spread awareness, DPSA promoted the idea of Celebrity Privacy Champions: University athletes, popular professors, prominent staff researchers, and famous alumni who were featured in a series of awareness videos and print material to advertise the Roadshow.

Designed to bolster data protection awareness and increase focus on existing and emerging global privacy legislation, Roadshow sessions provided attendees with real examples, usable takeaways, and common-sense practices for how to become good stewards of personal data, both theirs and others.

THE OUTCOME

The first Roadshow event was held in front of a standing-room-only crowd in one of the University’s largest halls. More than 375 students, staff, and faculty attended the inaugural half-day event.

After several additional Roadshow presentations, feedback was collected and the results were astounding: The goal of spreading awareness was not only met, it was exceeded.

Attendees actively participated during the events, and reported gaining a new respect for data protection as well as a heightened awareness of the range of risks the University is exposed to if individuals do not use data management best practices. Additionally, attendees began volunteering to become Data Protection Leads for the various University Clubs. Today, the University conducts these Roadshows quarterly, and many are attended multiple times.