November 29, 2015
ECU's Risk Management & Insurance Program Receives $250,000 Donation
Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) has donated $250,000 to support East Carolina University’s Risk Management and Insurance program, which is housed in the College of Business. As part of IIANC’s latest gift, $75,000 will complete the funding of an endowed scholarship named in honor of Stuart Powell, an insurance veteran who currently serves as IIANC’s vice president. In addition, $175,000 of the donation will begin the funding of a second professorship in Risk Management and Insurance.
(Left to right) Dal Snipes, National Director of IIANC; Kurt Fickling, Teaching Instructor at ECU; Dr. Stan Eakins, Dean of the ECU College of Business; Dr. Brenda Wells, Director of ECU’s Risk Management and Insurance Program; Dr. Brad Karl, Associate Professor at ECU; Aubie Knight, CEO of IIANC; Dr. Ron Mitchelson, Provost of ECU; and Scott Evans, Immediate Past Chairman of IIANC.
A statewide trade association representing nearly 1,000 independent insurance agencies, IIANC continues to be a strong supporter of ECU. In September, the organization donated $75,000 to ECU’s Risk Management and Insurance program to support ongoing research, bolster the general operating fund, and create an endowed student scholarship. IIANC also endowed ECU’s Robert F. Bird Distinguished Professorship in Insurance in 2013, which is held by Dr. Brenda Wells.
Dr. Stan Eakins, dean of the College of Business, said, “We are so grateful to IIANC and its vision to support our insurance program, our students, and our faculty. The group’s extraordinary partnership and dedication to strengthening our college will pay dividends for years to come.”
Aubie Knight, chief executive officer of IIANC, said, “IIANC is honored to continue its support of the program and its excellent students. They will certainly be among the future leaders of our industry, and we couldn’t be happier than to help provide them with some of the tools and resources that will help them reach their fullest potential. We are proud of the great work that the ECU faculty has done in building the Risk Management and Insurance program up to such an impressive level in a short number of years.”
The College of Business began offering a Risk Management and Insurance program in 2011 and now has more than 85 students enrolled. It is one of the fastest growing programs in the country and is supported by endowments from both IIANC as well as the North Carolina Surplus Lines Association.