The Casualty Actuarial Society has selected three universities to receive the 2018 CAS University Award, a prize created to recognize schools doing exemplary work in preparing students for careers in the property-casualty insurance industry.
The 2018 CAS University Award Program winners were determined by a panel of judges from companies across the P&C insurance industry. The three winning schools each receive a $5,000 monetary award to further enhance their programs, and they will be recognized at the 2018 CAS Annual Meeting, taking place November 11-14, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Meet the 2018 CAS University Award Winners and learn about the ways they are exposing their students to the P&C insurance industry!
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (ASU) has a robust actuarial science program, led by Actuarial Science Program Coordinator Dr. Jelena Milovanovic, ACIA, AIAA. The program has five actuarial faculty members and just more than 100 actuarial students. ASU’s program is recognized for its focus on P&C insurance within its curriculum; highlights include courses on P&C ratemaking and reserving, an introduction to P&C insurance course and actuarial models, the latter of which is taught by a casualty actuary and based on P&C examples and data. ASU also provides students with extensive, real-world P&C industry experiences through its annual P&C case competitions, chances to attend and present at regional and national P&C conferences, and internship and research opportunities made available through ASU’s partnerships with local P&C companies. ASU fully leverages the P&C industry resources that the CAS makes available, including the CAS University Liaisons, Student Central and Academic Central Programs, and CAS committee participation.
Renmin University of China
Paving the way for students to pursue the P&C actuarial career path, Professors Shengwang Meng and Xiaojun Wang lead the nine actuarial faculty members and 110 actuarial students making up Renmin University of China’s actuarial science program. In addition to covering basic technical courses, the program has a strong and responsive curriculum incorporating mentorships with P&C professionals and mandatory student internships. Renmin’s actuarial science program emphasizes programming languages, soft skills and emerging issues, such as telematics and machine learning. Members of Renmin’s faculty have written seven textbooks on P&C concepts that are used in the university’s P&C-specific courses. The university is also recognized for wide-ranging research that has been published in international journals on P&C topics such as telematics, as well as for its abundant research connections to government organizations, insurance institutions and private companies in the P&C industry.
The University of Texas at Austin
Eight actuarial faculty members and 280 actuarial students make up The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) actuarial science program, which is led by Actuarial Program Director Dr. Mark Maxwell, ASA, and Actuarial Program Assistant Director Alisa Walch, FCAS. UT Austin has developed a solid curriculum to help students understand and learn about the P&C field. The topics covered in the courses are relevant to the P&C industry and to CAS-specific exam material, such as Exams MAS-I and MAS-II. UT Austin also exposes students to real-world actuarial insurance problems through its “P&C Case Studies” course. This course helps students prepare for their first jobs, as it challenges their actuarial skills while strengthening their presentation, project management and communication abilities. In addition to having impressive connections to the P&C industry, UT Austin hosts case competitions and engages with the CAS through multiple channels, including University Liaisons, Academic and Student Central Programs, and committee volunteer opportunities.
