School of Business Administration to Receive Global Recognition

Risk Management and Insurance program earns international designation for excellence

Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter (left) and finance professor Andre Liebenberg (right) greet Bill Bryson, a member of the UM insurance program’s first graduating class. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Communications

OXFORD, Miss – The School of Business Administration at the University of Mississippi will be awarded the Global Centers of Insurance Excellence designation this summer at the International Insurance Society’s forum in London.

The school’s Risk Management and Insurance program is among only 12 programs in the U.S., and 20 worldwide, to receive the designation.

“We are proud to be awarded this designation that requires a strong institutional commitment to risk and insurance education and rewards excellence in student placement and industry engagement,” said Andre Liebenberg, the Gwenette P. and Jack W. Robertson Chair of Insurance and associate professor of finance.

“This designation requires that an RMI program is staffed by highly qualified faculty and that its graduates are hired in the insurance industry. Our ability to meet these requirements is due to the commitment and support of our administration, advisory board, employers, donors, and sustaining sponsors.”

The Global Centers of Insurance Excellence, or GCIE, certification program recognizes universities and colleges with outstanding Risk Management and Insurance programs.

“I am hopeful this certification will facilitate our efforts to further grow our RMI career fairs and insurance symposium, and also to attract funding for a new faculty position,” Liebenberg said.

The aim of the designation is to encourage universities to play an integral role in advancing insurance education, to enhance industry research and intellectual development, and to build connections between the insurance industry and top-tier academic programs and faculty.

We are proud of this well-deserved recognition of our RMI program,” said Ken Cyree, UM business dean. “This award is a testament to the hard work of the faculty, staff and advisory board that helps prepare our students for success.”

GCIE designees will be announced before a global insurance audience of 500 senior executives, academics and policymakers at the IIS Global Insurance Forum taking place July 17-20 in London.

“The Ole Miss RMI program is honored to receive the prestigious GCIE designation from the IIS,” said Stephen Fier, the Liberto-King professor of insurance and associate professor of finance. “As one of the oldest and largest RMI programs in the nation, we have maintained a longstanding commitment to high-quality risk management education, and this designation serves as further evidence of those efforts.

“We take great pride in our program, our students and alumni, and our relationships with employers and other industry leaders. We believe this recognition reflects our continued emphasis on academic and professional excellence.”

The UM School of Business Administration was established in 1917 and the insurance major was introduced in 1947. The RMI program consistently ranks among the 10 largest in the nation, its faculty has received multiple teaching and research awards, and the majority of students are placed in the insurance industry.

For more information on programs in the School of Business Administration, go to http://www.olemissbusiness.com/.