By Yvonne Chueh
By the time you read this newsletter it is already October. While I finish my term as chair of the Education and Research (E&R) Section Council, I reflect on my involvement on the council. It has been a rewarding personal learning experience working with members and friends of the council on numerous events intended to enhance education and research for the actuarial profession and community. I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Expanding Horizons reporting the past six months of section events and new articles we have to share.
The 52nd Actuarial Research Conference (ARC) hosted by the Georgia State University was a great success. It was well organized and executed by their excellent actuarial program and university. Thanks go to Daniel Bauer and his crew for their exceptional hard work and hospitality in planning and supporting the conference tirelessly. You are invited to read the highlights of the conference in Daniel’s recap article and to attend a future ARC as well as volunteer. The ARC cannot continue its success without your support.
We look forward to another exciting venue for the 2018 ARC at Western University (WU). WU (formerly University of Western Ontario) is located in London, Ontario, Canada with a long history of prominent education, research, and practice in the actuarial field. WU has undertaken sponsoring ARC again for 2018 since their early ARC hosting in 1990. Thanks go to Bruce Jones for his commitment to another successful conference. You can read a preview of the conference later in this issue.
I am pleased to announce a great success on our first co-sponsored webcast with the Health Section and the next webcast ready to go this November. Please visit the section webpage for current information on webcasts, SOA symposia sessions we sponsor or co-sponsor, new exam curriculum information, volunteer opportunity database, as an expanding effort to communicate and to combine our talent with other sections in disseminating information to the actuarial community. We are always interested in potential collaborations with other sections and academia so please contact one of our friendly council members or friends, if you have any ideas on ways we can work together.
In addition to the ARC, the E&R Section Council has 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 2017 SOA Annual Meeting & Exhibit in October. If you have new session ideas to submit, please contact the E&R representative designated for one of the meetings.
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, and diversity, among other areas of interest. You are invited to contribute your article if you have new thoughts on teaching or research. Many thanks go out to Expanding Horizons editor, Jeff Beckley, for filling this big role with persistent patience and excellent service.
I would like to thank the members and friends of the council for all their support and work. They certainly made my job very enjoyable and inspiring. 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, like many of council friends have.
Finally, Brian Hartman has been elected to chair the council next year. He has served on the council and worked tirelessly in many venues to move the council forward and is a great choice for chairperson. I believe with Brian at the helm working with the dedicated membership and friends, the council will continually be open to new and innovative opportunities. Finally, my congratulations go out to our newly elected council members: Colin Ramsay, Hal Tepfer and Thomas Wakefield. Welcome aboard! And many thanks to all who have helped the council meet our goals throughout this year.
Yvonne Chueh, PhD, ASA, is professor of Actuarial Science, Statistics and Mathematics at Central Washington University. She can be reached at chueh@cwu.edu or http://www.cwu.edu/faculty/ask-dr-chueh-0 .