Indiana State University students Michael Haseley and Jackie Zuerner will be recognized with the Anita Benedetti Student Involvement Award by the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS) at the organization's national conference, April 23-27, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Zuerner and Haseley will receive the Benedetti Award for their outstanding leadership and involvement - at Indiana State and in the pursuit of insurance and risk management as an area of study and future career.
Haseley, a junior insurance and risk management major and Networks Scholar from Argos (2003 graduate of Argos Junior-Senior High School), and Zuerner, a Gongaware Scholar and junior insurance and risk management major from Terre Haute (2003 graduate of Terre Haute North), were selected to receive the award from a national pool of applicants.
"Competition for this honor is always fierce, yet I'm never surprised at how well our students fare when going head to head with top students throughout the country," said Mary Ann Boose, professor and coordinator of the insurance and risk management program at Indiana State. "Jackie and Michael will serve as tremendous representatives of Indiana State and of our nationally recognized insurance and risk management program."
Haseley, who also is earning minors in finance and safety management, says his ISU education has set the stage perfectly for his future in insurance.
"My academic experience has given me a solid foundation for beginning a career in the insurance industry," said Haseley, the son of Paul and Doris Haseley of Argos. "Being involved in different student organizations and activities on campus has allowed me to develop the leadership and problem-solving skills necessary to succeed in business."
That foundation includes having served as a global risk management intern with NCR Corp. (Dayton, Ohio) in the summer of 2005 and serving for the past two years as scholarship recruitment coordinator for Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State. In addition, Haseley is a member of Gamma Iota Sigma, the risk management, insurance and actuarial science collegiate fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity, Toastmasters International and the Insurance and Risk Management Honors Corps (GPA of 3.6 or above). And, already during his brief college career, he has attended renowned national conferences such as the Big "I" (2004), REBEX (2004 and 2005), Gamma Iota Sigma Management Conference (2004 and 2005), and the Troy University Excess and Surplus Lines Symposium (2005).
Zuerner, the daughter of Dan and Joan Zuerner of Terre Haute, has served as an intern for Lockton Companies, Inc. (Summer 2005) and is a supplemental instructor and pre-business tutor for Indiana State's Student Academic Services Center. She also is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Alpha Lambda Delta, Gamma Iota Sigma, Toastmasters International and the Insurance and Risk Management Honors Corps.
In addition to being an ISU Gongaware Scholar, Zuerner has been named a Spencer Education Foundation Scholar (2005-06), a PRIMA Scholar (2004) and a finalist for the Governor's Commission for Higher Education (2004).
"Dr. Boose has helped the ISU insurance and risk management program to stand out from the other competing programs and has prepared graduates for the real world," Zuerner said. "She (Boose) spearheaded the Surplus Lines course, which took a class of students to London for a study of the insurance industry. The trip was dynamic in so many ways, and served as a catalyst for my interest in working within a brokerage environment during my internship last summer.
"I am proud of the successes that have led to my offer to partake in RIMS 2006, and I am grateful for all of the people and experiences at ISU that will resonate throughout my life."
As Benedetti honorees, Zuerner and Haseley will be sponsored by RIMS to attend the annual conference (including airfare, hotel and registration). They also will receive a small stipend as part of the award program, which was established to honor the late Anita Benedetti, former deputy executive director of RIMS and president of the Spencer Educational Foundation, Inc.
Contact: Mary Ann Boose, professor and coordinator of the Insurance and Risk Management Program, Indiana State University at m-boose@indstate.edu or (812) 237-2106.