By David Hudak
As I complete my term as chair of the Education and Research (E&R) council, I reflect on my time on the council. It has been a rewarding and exciting time working with members and friends of the council on numerous events intended to enhance education and research in the actuarial profession.
The 51st Actuarial Research Conference (ARC) jointly sponsored by the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas was a huge success. It was well attended and had an excellent program. Thanks go to Laurie Derechin and her team for their exceptional work in planning and executing the conference. Take some time to read more details of the conference in Laurie’s recap article.
We look forward to another great venue for the 2017 ARC at Georgia State University (GSU). GSU is at the center of research in the actuarial field and has great experience in sponsoring major conferences. In 2016, they sponsored the IME meetings immediately prior to the 2016 ARC.
The council is always looking for new avenues to benefit the actuarial community and I am pleased to announce the council will be co-sponsoring a webcast with the Health Section in November 2016. This is a great opportunity for the council to combine our talent with the Health Section in disseminating information to the actuarial community. We are always interested in potential collaborations with other sections so please contact our new webcast coordinator, Ian Duncan, if you have any ideas on ways we can work together.
In addition to the ARC, the E&R council has also been engaged in other actuarial conferences. This has included sponsoring sessions, and in some cases, breakfast at the Life and Annuity Symposium in May, Health Meeting in June and the 2016 SOA Annual Meeting & Exhibit in October.
Another service provided is this newsletter, Expanding Horizons. The newsletter contains a variety of articles including discussions of recent conferences, research activities, innovative teaching methods, diversity among other areas of interest. Many thanks go out to Expanding Horizons editor, Jeff Beckley.
I would like to thank the members and friends of the council for all their support and work. They certainly made my job a lot easier. I have met so many new actuaries and made new friends. I look forward to keeping connected as a friend of the council for future years.
Finally, Yvonne Chueh will be taking over as chair of the council in November. She has worked tirelessly for the council in moving it in a forward direction and is a great choice to lead the council into the future. I know with Yvonne at the helm working with the dedicated membership and friends, the council will continually be open to new and innovative possibilities.
David Hudak, ASA, is professor of Actuarial Science and Mathematics as well as department head for Mathematics at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Penn. He can be reached at hudak@rmu.edu.