AAMGA Special Section—More than continuing education—A self-supporting entity, AAMGA University offers targeted, specialty training 04/07


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AAMGA Special Section

More than continuing education

A self-supporting entity, AAMGA University offers targeted, specialty training

By Phil Zinkewicz

In 2004, the AAMGA University convened 3,792 students from 201 companies and agencies, compared with 1,591 students a year earlier. That’s quite a jump. Last year, more than 5,500 students attended the University from more than 400 companies.

The AAMGA University is the only entity licensed by Lloyd’s of London and the Chartered Insurance Institute of England as the exclusive provider of the Lloyd’s and London Market test and other courses in the United States, and to provide certification to those who successfully complete the curriculum of study and testing.

Moreover, the University offers nine different classes for the National Association of Insurance Women (NAIW) on subjects as varied as trucking insurance, insurance fraud and contract negotiations.

In addition, the University offers other benefits for its students, such as a summer school and a student exchange at Cambridge University; a claims and litigation management school; online registration and confirmation; online tracking of classes and hours completed; and scheduled networking time at each University session.

That’s an impressive record for the University in just a few years, says Robert (Rob) Giles, chancellor of the University and president/COO of R.W. Scobie, Inc., in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. “We’re making great strides at the University,” says Giles. “We have a new director of education, Joanna Mahoney. At our September 2006 University weekend we had the best attendance ever—participation was in excess of 300.

“We are continuing to update classes for our membership,” he continues. “We have established a 24-month rolling calendar for classes to give our members more time to enroll in the courses they want. Our classes are planned and dated into 2008. In March of 2008, we are planning a University weekend that we’re calling University East in Philadelphia to complement our University weekend in August in Arizona.”

Continues Giles: “We now have classes on how to write budgets and draw up business plans. We also teach human resources skills, how to write financial reports and how to make proper presentations. The personal lines school in Amelia, Ohio, is performing nicely, complementing our beginner’s class,” he says.

A key accomplishment for the University, according to Giles, is that at its 20th anniversary, it is self-supporting. “We no longer have to depend upon the association for our existence,” says Giles.

“The two most important things that the AAMGA has to offer its members are the opportunities to network and to learn. Networking is part of all of our University sessions. And learning from seasoned executives is at the heart of the University,” says the University chancellor. *

AAMGA DESIGNATIONS

According to the AAMGA, the Certified Managing General Agency (CMGA) designation is “one of the most valuable wholesale insurance industry marks of distinction.” It represents a managing general agency’s annual certification and its commitment to providing continuing education to all of its employees. Awarded annually, the CMGA designation provides those MGAs a unique designation certifying that all employees have taken a minimum of 8 hours of eligible continuing education classes. Presently, 35 MGAs have earned the right to add the designation to their competencies.

The Certified Insurance Wholesaler (CIW) and Certified Insurance Wholesale Specialist (CWIS) designations have also allowed the AAMGA to recognize agency principals and their employees for their educational achievements. A minimum of 40 hours of insurance classes must be taken to earn these distinctions and, as with its CMGA counterpart, must be reapplied for annually.

For an insurance professional seeking the CIW or CWIS designation for the first time, a written, peer-reviewed paper approved by the AAMGA’s University Advisory Council must also be prepared and presented. Copies of the papers are made available to the membership in order to allow all members to benefit from the work of these new recipients.

“The sharing of critical and niche knowledge that provide solutions to issues and insights on industry opportunities allows all AAMGA members to make immediate use of the content in these papers by implementing their recommendations and findings in their agencies and companies,” says AAMGA University Chancellor Rob Giles of R.W. Scobie, Inc., in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. “Equally important is the ability of our members to transfer this knowledge and opportunities to their retail producer agents and their markets. At a time when the industry is looking for expertise in underwriting and enhanced business acumen, the AAMGA University designations offer members invaluable benefits.”

“We have established a 24-month rolling calendar for classes to give our members more time to enroll in the courses they want.”

— Robert Giles
AAMGA University Chancellor and
President/COO
R.W. Scobie, Inc.
Eau Claire, Wisconsin