By developing local partnerships, Mount
west Community & Technical College
responds to its community’s workforce
needs to foster continued economic growth
and improved quality of life in the area.
Addressing the
Insurance Talent Crisis
BY DR. BEN MARTZ. Shepherd University
has created a risk management and insur-
ance (RMI) program as part of the new
curriculum in its college of business. The
RMI program is centered on a series of
activities that include a student scholar
ship program; Gamma Iota Sigma, an
RMI-oriented student organization;
faculty training support; and ongoing
curriculum development. Farmers &
Mechanics Insurance and BrickStreet
Insurance, which is now Encova Mutual
Insurance Group, have each contributed
to the initial pool of partnering funds
needed to start the program.
The main driver for this program is
the predicted workforce crisis in the in-
surance industry. There is a potential
deficit of 400,000 positions that, if un-
addressed, will go unfilled, according to
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the
Jacobson Group, an insurance industry
watchdog and recruiting firm. The schol-
arship portion of the program provides
a commitment of a $1,000 scholarship
to students for each of four years as long
as they are mastering the RMI program
material and making satisfactory progress
toward RMI degree completion.
This program will also help Shepherd
University ramp up student recruitment
and ongoing engagement efforts to
develop graduates with the skill sets
needed for the RMI labor force. Within
the insurance industry, the use and under
standing of quantitative tools, workflow
analysis and predictive analytics can help
students prepare for RMI jobs that did
not exist five years ago.
With the looming workforce crisis,
the RMI industry has become a high-
growth, high-potential target for future
employment possibilities.
“We are very excited to be working with
our industry sponsors on this program,”
says Dr. Mary Hendrix, Shepherd Uni-
versity’s president. “We believe the RMI
program gives our students an academic
curriculum that targets high employ-
ability and meaningful lifelong careers.”
Exploring the Wild Side of Science
BY MAUREEN ZAMBITO. In the fall of 2016,
West Liberty University’s College of
Sciences introduced an innovative curric-
ulum for students interested in science,
zoos and wildlife when it developed its
zoo science and applied conservation
major.
Partnering with the Good Zoo at nearby
Oglebay Resort, graduates of the zoo
science undergraduate major earn a
Bachelor of Science in biology and gain
hands-on animal experience that gives
them a boost into the professional world
of zookeeping.
Graduate student
Haley Wetzel holds
one of the lizards
housed in the
animal care labs.
Photo by West
Liberty University.
CHARLESTON
PARKERSBURG
MORGANTOWN
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