UNIVERSITY,
Miss. - When The University of Mississippi sought private support for a
new faculty post in the Business School, it found that State Farm
Insurance was there, like a very good neighbor. The industry giant
presented a $50,000 grant to Ole Miss officials last week earmarked for an
endowed faculty position in the insurance and risk management program.
"The State Farm Foundation is pleased to be involved with the University
of Mississippi, an institution that has provided quality public education
for more than 150 years. We support this program and encourage students to
get involved in insurance studies," said Bob West, State Farm regional
vice president based in Birmingham, Ala. He delivered the gift to Ole Miss
officials at Holman Hall, home of the Business School on the Oxford
campus.
Dr. Gloria Kellum, Ole Miss vice chancellor for university relations, said
the gift represents the kind of partnership between the university and
industry that provides students with exceptional educational
opportunities. "We are deeply indebted to State Farm, and we pledge to use
this money with great stewardship to help promote the insurance program,"
she said. State Farm is the leading insurance underwriter in the state of
Mississippi.
Established 53 years ago, the Ole Miss insurance program is among the
oldest in the nation. With the number of undergraduate majors more than
doubling in the last five years, demands on faculty have grown. The State
Farm grant joins other donations to the Professorship of Insurance
endowment, a privately funded initiative launched by the Ole Miss
Insurance Advisory Council, a group of 36 industry professionals who
advise and support the university`s insurance program.
Millie Workman, president of the advisory council, invited State Farm
representatives to talk with the Ole Miss insurance students on hand for
the ceremony. "I can`t think of a better way for you to understand the
return you`re going to get on your investment. This is a dynamic program
that is growing rapidly and turning out quality students who are the
future of the industry," she said.
Dr. Larry Cox, who joined the Ole Miss faculty in 1995 and holds the
Robertson Chair of Insurance, said not only are more students interested
in the insurance field as a career but that university relationships with
the industry continue to expand. He said the past three years have been
particularly notable for superb placement of students in both entry-level
jobs and summer internships within the insurance and risk management
industry. "Virtually all graduates of the program have accepted positions
in the industry or have entered graduate school," Cox said.
As a result of the new endowment, Dr. Karen Epermanis, an experienced
corporate risk manager, will join the Ole Miss faculty this summer. For
the past two years, she has taught at the University of Hartford.
Previously, she worked more than 10 years as a top-level risk manager with
such major firms as The Williams Companies and SulzerMedica. "Combine that
with her knowledge of commercial insurance, and you can see how valuable
an addition she will be to our program," Cox said.
--University News
Service
Location: http://www.bus.olemiss.edu/viewnews.aspx?articleno=218