Seven University of Central Arkansas students were honored recently for being first in the nation to complete the University Associate Certified Insurance Counselor (UACIC) designation program.
The University Associate Certified Insurance Counselor designation was created to give college students pursuing an insurance and risk management undergraduate degree the opportunity to attain a new level of professionalism through advanced practical education while in college.
The individuals who meet the educational requirements for the UACIC designation have a distinct advantage when entering the insurance and risk management workforce, said Dr. John Bratton, a professor in the Department of Insurance & Risk Management at UCA.
Learn more about the program by visiting UCA’s YouTube page.
The young professionals obtaining the UACIC designation earn credit toward the distinguished Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) designation which has been the insurance industry’s premier, proven source for practical, real-world education since 1969. The coveted Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation, held by over 30,000 insurance and risk management practitioners, signifies a higher professional level of experience and competence and national recognition within the insurance and risk management industry for the program and designation.
“The UCACIC designation is only available at universities with insurance and risk management departments with outstanding faculty,” said Dr. Bill Hold, president of the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. “Holding the first UACIC conferment ceremony on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas is a tribute to the quality of the Faculty and Students in the Insurance and Risk Management program at UCA.”
Hold, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford, and Dr. John Bratton and Dr. Victor Puleo, members of the insurance faculty at UCA, presented the students with their certificates during a conferment banquet held recently at the University of Central Arkansas.
Students receiving the designation are: Chad “Ryan” Barnes of McGehee; Kraig A. Bowden of Hamburg; Coty L. Clary of Fordyce; Robert D. Duffield of Hot Springs; Kara Michelle Martin of West Memphis; Stephanie L. Rowland of North Little Rock; and Michael C. Sherer of Cabot.
Dane Duffield, Tyler Latimer, Kara Martin, and Stephanie Rowland were also recipients of a scholarship from the Jerry Montgomery Memorial Research Fund. The fund was established by the National Alliance Research Academy to honor Jerry Montgomery, a well-respected member of the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. The fund was created to provide scholarships for deserving university students enrolled in the UACIC program to provide support to allow these students to obtain the designation.
