February 23, 2016
New Insurance Professorship Established
The ECU College of Business has established a new insurance professorship, thanks to a $350,000 endowment from the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) and the North Carolina Surplus Lines Association (NCSLA). The two organizations named the professorship in honor of Prof. Kurt Fickling, a 40-year veteran of the insurance industry and longtime resident of Greenville. Fickling also serves as a teaching instructor in ECU’s Risk Management and Insurance Program.
The IIANC-NCSLA – W. Kurt Fickling Professorship in Risk and Insurance is being equally funded by the two organizations. It is ECU’s second professorship in insurance.
(Left to right) Back row: Scott Evans, Jim Mozingo, Dal Snipes, and Aubie Knight with the IIANC.
Front row: Dean Stan Eakins, Prof. Kurt Fickling, Danielle Wade, and Steve Allen with the NCSLA.
Dr. Brenda Wells, director of ECU’s Risk Management and Insurance Program and the Robert F. Bird Distinguished Scholar of Risk and Insurance, said, “There is no one I’ve ever met more dedicated to risk management and insurance education than Kurt Fickling. He freely gives of his wisdom, experience, and heart to ECU students, and he is beloved by all for his contribution to our program and this university.”
Dr. Stan Eakins, dean of the College of Business, said, “We are so grateful to the IIANC and the NCSLA and their extraordinary support of our insurance program, our students, and our faculty. Their partnership and dedication to strengthening our college will pay dividends for years to come.”
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 the IIANC as well as the NCSLA.