Ross Wheeler
Two University of Central Arkansas College of Business students have been chosen to participate in the Anita Benedetti Student Involvement Program (ABSIP) and attend the Risk & Insurance Management Society (RIMS) 2015 Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, La., from Sunday to Wednesday, April 26-29.
Ross Wheeler, a senior from Fort Smith and Julia White, a junior from Magnolia, were recently notified of their selection to participate in the ABSIP at the annual conference. The two students are both insurance and risk management majors, and RIMS will provide transportation, hotel accommodations, complementary conference registration, and a small stipend for these selected students.
Julia White
The ABSIP was initiated in 1987 as a pilot program to recognize the achievements of outstanding risk management students and continued each year due to its overwhelming success. The name was changed in 1997 to honor the late Anita Benedetti, former executive director of the RIMS.
“The RIMS conference provides students an amazing opportunity to network with industry professionals and learn more about the insurance and risk management industry. It is the largest risk management conference in the world–often attracting more than 10,000 participants,” said John Bratton, professor of insurance and risk management. “These students have the opportunity to attend educational seminars, workshops, and presentations with many of the insurance and risk management industry’s top professionals. Plus they will make contacts at social and networking events that will benefit them for their entire career.”
Both Wheeler and White are also the recipients of scholarships awarded by the Foundation for Agency Management Excellence, part of the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers in Washington, D.C. These two-year scholarships provide each student $5,000 per academic year during both their junior and senior years at UCA.
The insurance and risk management major within the College of Business at the University of Central Arkansas is one of the fastest growing programs in the country. Graduates are finding excellent employment opportunities and continuing students are finding rewarding internships. To learn more about this program, please visit the College of Business.
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