| FROM THE COMMISSIONER |
Lots happening this fall
Don’ t Text # JustDrive and KIEF
T wo exciting campaigns concerning Kansas college students are rolling out this fall as a result of collaboration from the Kansas Insurance Department( KID), the Kansas Insurance Educational Fund( KIEF), insurance companies and governmental agencies.
The first initiative combines the fun of a friendly contest with the seriousness of a major problem— texting while driving. The second seeks to provide insurance companies in the state with a steady supply of educated employees. We hope that KAIA agents will support both.
KID, insurance companies and governmental sponsors have created the“ Don’ t Text # JustDrive” campaign to get university students and supporters to pledge to stop texting and driving. I hope you have seen— and maybe even participated in— some of the promotional messages of this campaign, which began in mid-September.
The participating schools are the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, Washburn University and Emporia State University. Watch for campaign publicity from each of them.
Supporters of each participating university will be able to take the pledge two ways: online or by text messaging. The number of pledge each school receives will be compared to its official fall 2016 enrollment to calculate a percentage. Results will be tabulated and the winner announced during university athletic contests this fall and winter.
Voting began Sept. 19 and ends Nov. 22. Pledge votes can be cast online by going to www. ksinsurance. org / justdrive. Your clients who are fans of these schools can pledge too.
A very special part of the campaign is the support of Kendall Schoenekase, Miss Kansas 2016. She has chosen“ Stay Alive, Don’ t Text and Drive” as her campaign issue
KEN SELZER Kansas Insurance Commissioner
during her reign as Miss Kansas. She and I filmed a series of public service announcements and recorded radio announcements that will be aired throughout the campaign this fall.
Major funding for the promotional contest comes from AT & T, the Kansas Department of Transportation, the Kansas Automobile Insurance Plan, the Kansas Turnpike Authority, Allstate Insurance Company, State Farm Mutual Insurance Company, and Farmers Insurance, among others.
The new insurance education initiative, coordinated through several Kansas post-secondary institutions this fall, is working to provide insurance companies in the state with company-ready new employees.
During the fall 2016 semester, students at Fort Hays State University; Washburn University; the University of Kansas-Edwards campus; and Johnson County Community College are studying in core classes for an Insurance Certificate, which involves taking 12-15 hours of insurance-related coursework. The courses required for the certificate program are seamless and transferable.
A student at Fort Hays State University, for example, can take and receive an online or traditional classroom insurance course from the University of Kansas- Edwards campus that will count toward the core course requirement for the certificate. The website for the initiative is www. ksinsurancecertificate. org.
Championing the collaborative effort between the universities and insurance companies operating in Kansas is KID, the Kansas Board of Regents, and KIEF. Each
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| September- October 2016 | KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER
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