The Mississippi State risk management, insurance and financial planning program will host the 22nd annual MSU Insurance Day Wednesday and Thursday.
Among the speakers for the 2009 I-Day is Mike Huckabee, the former 2008 presidental primary candidate, republican governor of Arkansas and current host of “Huckabee” on the Fox News Network.
Huckabee’s recent book, “Do the Right Thing,” is particularly relevant for financial industry professionals today, said Ed Duett, the Peter Lutken Chair of Insurance at MSU.
“Ethics are always a big issue in business, especially now,” Duett said. “We thought [ethics] would be of tremendous interest to the students.”
Cary Breedlove, sales executive with Travelers Insurance and I-Day program committee member, said Huckabee’s upcoming presence at the conference helped shape other conference programming around ethics.
“Doing the right thing and making sure that we as an industry remain as ethical as possible in these tough economic times is important,” Breedlove said. “Insurance is what makes the economy tick. If the insurance mechanism fails, people will truly not invest money in the economy.”
He said I-Day will feature discussions on maintaining ethical and financial integrity in the industry.
This is a great opportunity for students to make valuable industry contacts, Breedlove said.
He said he still has many of the contacts he has made at I-Day over the years.
Breedlove said students can also get a good feel for today’s insurance field at I-Day.
“It’s a good opportunity to hear what’s going on in the industry,” Breedlove said.
Duett also said he encourages students to get involved in I-Day events, which give them the chance to rub elbows with professionals and leaders in the insurance industry.
“It’s a great opportunity to hear some top level executives discuss issues going on in the financial world today,” Duett said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for them.”
Duett said the programs offered at I-Day are most relevant for students in the risk management, insurance and financial planning program at MSU, which is the fourth largest in the country, but other students are welcome, too.
“Our students will be more in tune with this, but we’re very eager to let other majors attend,” Duett said.
Other speakers for the event include MSU President Mark Keenum, Mike Chaney, the commissioner of insurance in Mississippi, MSU head football coach Dan Mullen and a large number of top professionals in the insurance and risk management business.
MSU I-Day is one of the largest events of its kind, said George Dale, former commissioner of insurance in Mississippi and I-Day advisory board member.
Dale, who has been involved with I-Day since its beginning, said MSU was one of the first universities to host an insurance day and, based on sheer numbers, now has one of the most successful insurance day programs in the nation.
“To get 500 people to come listen to talks about insurance is an achievement in itself,” Dale said.
Since its start, I-Day has grown leaps and bounds and inspired similar programs in other states, he said. Insurance day programs at the University of Alabama and the University of Arkansas were started by the commissioners of insurance in Alabama and Arkansas after visiting MSU I-Day.
“It’s seen as one of the top insurance seminars in the nation,” Dale said.
People come to I-Day and always want to come back, he said.
“We show them a good time,” Dale said. “They’re still trying to understand Left Field Lounge.”
Dale said he once invited the commissioner of insurance from Georgia to come to I-Day, and he has asked to come back ever since.
Breedlove said people enjoy coming to I-Day and many make it a yearly priority.
“Now it’s an event that most people say you just can’t miss,” Breedlove said.
For more information about MSU I-Day 2009, visit the I-Day Web site, msuinsurance.org/MSU_I_Day_2009.html, or contact Ed Duett at 325-7475 or [email protected].