OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Business Administration hosts its annual Insurance Symposium March 23-24, bringing together about 200 industry professionals to learn from speakers on topics such as health care, technology, emerging risks, legislative issues and leadership.
Attendees will gain insights from CEOs and other industry leaders. The symposium kicks off with Michael LaRocco, president and CEO of State Auto Insurance Cos., and features UM Athletics Director Ross Bjork as the luncheon speaker.
Andre Liebenberg, UM’s Gwenette P. and Jack W. Robertson Chair of Insurance and associate professor of finance, praised the Ole Miss Insurance Advisory Board for securing such a dynamic group of speakers and industry leaders to educate attendees on key issues facing the industry.
“We are thrilled to host over 200 industry guests on our beautiful campus and to showcase our nationally ranked program and, more generally, our exceptional university and town,” Liebenberg said. “In addition to being our largest fundraiser, the symposium provides us an opportunity to serve the industry by providing continuing education.”
About 100 UM students can attend for free, offering them them exposure to industry thought leaders, Liebenberg said. The symposium will also provide students with networking opportunities. The symposium plays an important part, together with the program’s two annual career fairs and summer internship program, in the RMI program’s tremendous success with job placement, Liebenberg noted.
The university houses one of the world’s oldest RMI programs, which was founded in 1947. UM is also Mississippi’s only university to offer an RMI major. The program is ranked the ninth largest of its kind in the country by Business Insurance Magazine and has placed 125 students in the insurance industry over the past five years.
Mike Chaney, Mississippi commissioner of insurance, will welcome participants on behalf of the state.
“The symposium is an event for learning and utilizing, on a local level, the latest trends and changes in the insurance industry,” Chaney said.
Tiffany Hawkins, state director with FCCI Insurance Group, is the symposium’s program chair. The RMI program’s present and past leadership has done a great job of keeping it among the nation’s best, said Hawkins, a 1999 graduate of the program.
“We are very excited about this year’s symposium,” Hawkins said. “We have a dynamic group of speakers and it is going to be a great day on the Ole Miss campus. Dr. Liebenberg and Dr. (Stephen) Fier have done an excellent job making sure the RMI program at Ole Miss remains nationally ranked and recognized.”
For more information about the symposium and other events sponsored by the RMI program, contact Kathy Shoalmire, project coordinator, at kshoalmire@bus.olemiss.edu or 662-915-2830.