2017 Hickman Scholars Reception

The Society of Actuaries (SOA) honored the 2017-2018 scholars of the  James C. Hickman Scholar program at a reception that took place Oct. 16 during the 2017 SOA Annual Meeting and Exhibit in Boston, Massachusetts.

Faculty from university and college actuarial science programs that are SOA Centers of Actuarial Excellence (CAE), SOA Board members, staff and SOA President, Mike Lombardi, FSA, CERA, FCIA, MAAA were present to celebrate the event.

Lombardi provided an overview of the prestigious James C. Hickman Scholar program, which was named in honor of Professor James C. Hickman, who made numerous contributions to teaching during his 40-year academic career, including co-authorship of the Actuarial Mathematics textbook.

The James C. Hickman Scholar program was established in 2009 to increase the number of academic actuaries who hold a PhD and an actuarial designation, and who intend to pursue academic careers.

The new class of 2016-2017 Hickman Scholars include:

• Nicholas Beck, McGill University, pursuing a Ph.D. in Statistics
• Jessica Ou Dang, University of Waterloo, pursuing a Ph.D. in Actuarial Science
• Lisa Gao, University of Wisconsin-Madison, pursuing a Ph.D. in Actuarial Science, Risk Management, and Insurance
• Xing Wang, Georgia State University, pursuing a Ph.D. in Risk Management and Insurance
• Shuai (Alex) Yang, University of Toronto, pursuing a Ph.D. in Statistics

One scholar who achieved her Ph.D. as a Hickman scholar was also recognized:

• Cindy Xu, Ph.D. in Actuarial Science at the University of Waterloo

The SOA wishes to congratulate all the James C. Hickman Scholars for their achievements.