Dear Friends of IEI:

The IEI Board of Directors conducted its June meeting in conjunction with the Insurance Education Institute at Drake University. This gave our board members a chance to interact with teachers who participated in our 2001 graduate course for high school instructors. It proved to be an enlightening experience for the teachers and for the IEI board. Our board was impressed by the level of enthusiasm and commitment expressed by the attendees at the Drake program. The teachers described a new appreciation for the subject of insurance. They were particularly sensitive to the complexities of the profession and the career possibilities that it presented. The IEI board went away from the experience convinced of the value of this program and determined to open this education up to as many teachers as possible. Your contribution enables us to continue this program to educate the next generation of insurance consumers.

Sincerely,

William J. Howell, CLU, ChFC, CAE
CEO


Golf Classic and Awards Dinner
The Washington Hilton and Towers will be the site of the IEI Awards Dinner on Friday, September 21. This gala celebration will feature U.S. Secretary of Education, Roderick Paige. Dr. Paige will receive the Crystal Apple Award in recognition of his contribution to educating America’s young people. He will provide the keynote address at this session, which will also feature the presentation of the James L. Osborne Insurance Educator of the Year award, given to a high school teacher who demonstrates excellence in providing insurance education. 

The 12th Annual IEI Golf Classic will follow on Saturday afternoon, September 22, at the Andrews Air Force Base Courses. Reserved for military players and dignitaries, these immaculate courses usually host presidents, generals, admirals, etc. So you can expect a challenging round on a restricted play course amid a relaxed setting with friends and colleagues. There are still openings for interested players, but past experience says they won’t last long. 


State Programs
Several states have their own program for teachers of insurance. IEI has cooperative relationships with some of these states. The IEI board is concerned about the competition for teacher attendance and the duplicate requests that are made for companies to fund two programs. While we recognize that the IEI program is more comprehensive and nationally oriented, the board wants to maximize the return on investments that companies make in this training. The Insurance Information Institute has graciously agreed to help collect information on the existence of and the scope of state programs. IEI staff will then attempt to coordinate with the various state administrations to assure that we don’t duplicate effort. We also want to create synergy and eliminate waste wherever possible. If you have information about a state program, we would appreciate knowing about it. Also, if you or someone in your company has a leadership role in the management of one of these courses, we could use your insight as to the best approach for us to take in establishing a cooperative relationship. Please call or email me with contact information.


Beyond the Institutes
Our 2001 Institute attendance will raise the number of graduates of the IEI course to almost 2,000. The courses were held at Drake University, Florida State, Cal State at USF, Illinois State, and St. John's University. Look for coverage in the fall issue of The Insurance Educator, where we will show exact attendance figures and identify the John C. Etling award winners, symbolic of the top graduate in each class.


Teacher Web Site Survey
We recently completed a survey of teachers who used our web site to determine their level of satisfaction. We were pleased to find that an overwhelming majority of respondents rated the web site as excellent. They were most enthusiastic about the availability of lesson plans and the newsletter on line. Another big plus was the addition of our insurance curriculum developed for Junior Achievement, as well as the addition of Choice-Chance-Control text material on the site. We continue to build a larger audience for our electronic delivery each month with more links and resources for teachers.


New Contributors
IEI welcomes the following new contributors since our last publication. We are pleased to recognize the support of:

ACE INA Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
Aon Re Inc., Chicago, IL
Colonial General Ins. Agency, Scottsdale, AZ
Consolidated Ins. Center, Owings Mills, MD
Farmers & Mechanics of Cecil County, Northeast, MD
Farmers Mutual Fire, Marble, PA
Goodville Mutual, New Holland, PA
Herbert L. Jamison & Co. LLC, West Orange, NJ
Hilb, Rogal & Hamilton, LLC, Pittsburgh, PA
Marshall & Sterling, Poughkeepsie, NY
Maryland Insurance Seminars, Sandy Spring, MD
Mutual Service Office, Glen Rock, NJ
NAIW, Puerto Rico Chapter
Nautilus Insurance Group, Scottsdale, AZ
Pekin Insurance, Pekin, IL
RCM&D Foundation, Baltimore, MD
Rodgers Insurance Agency, Pittsburgh, PA
Sharkey Family Foundation, Cranford, NJ
Wayne Mutual Insurance, Wooster, OH


Thank you all for your generosity and for helping us to educate the next generation of young consumers about insurance.