Farmers and Mechanics Mutual Insurance, which is headquartered in Martinsburg, requested that Shepherd’s College of Business develop a risk management and insurance program to help address the projected need for insurance professionals. Pictured (l. to r.) are Dr. Ben Martz, dean of the College of Business; President Mary J.C. Hendrix; Dan Otto, senior vice president and chief financial officer, Farmers and Mechanics Mutual Insurance; and Jim Dailey, board of directors chair, Farmers and Mechanics Mutual Insurance.
Shepherd’s College of Business hosted a risk management and insurance (RMI) roundtable discussion on March 30, to discuss with insurance professionals how a new RMI concentration can help train much-needed insurance industry workers. Participants included regional experts as well as an international expert Ed Beimer, managing director of Hastings Direct, a United Kingdom company.
With the input from the insurance industry, Shepherd is developing the RMI concentration at the suggestion of and with the support from Farmers and Mechanics Insurance Companies, which is headquartered in Martinsburg, to help address the projected need for insurance professionals. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Jacobson Group, an insurance recruiting watchdog, estimate potentially 400,000 positions will go unfilled. Millennials are not considering going into the insurance field, a trend the College of Business hopes to reverse.
“We are excited about the career opportunities created by this program,” said Dr. Ben Martz, dean of the College of Business. “Our goal is to educate students about the wide variety of careers available throughout the RMI industry. The program will have a set of integrated activities including a scholarship program to help students develop the skill sets needed to succeed in the RMI area.”
Ed Beimer, managing director of Hastings Direct, a United Kingdom company, participated in a recent roundtable discussion on how the College of Business can best develop a new risk management and insurance concentration. Pictured (l. to r.) are Dr. Ben Martz, dean of the College of Business; Beimer; and President Mary J.C. Hendrix.