MSU announces special summer training in insurance education

Contact: Sammy McDavid

STARKVILLE, Miss.--Interested high school teachers are being encouraged to apply for the 2005 Summer Insurance Education Institute at Mississippi State.

Organized by the university's Peter K. Lutken Chair of Insurance, the July 17-22 program is made possible by a grant from the Insurance Education Foundation, an Indianapolis, Ind., philanthropy supported by the U.S. insurance industry.

Offering three graduate credit hours upon completion, the course is designed to enhance the training of educators who teach insurance either as a specific course or as part of another subject. While providing an understanding of all forms of insurance, the classes will emphasize its relevance to high school students and their families.

Participants selected to attend will have all educational expenses covered, including tuition, room and board, and instructional and supporting materials. Travel expenses are not included.

The program is divided into two segments: one involving computer training at home, the other in traditional class settings.

"For three weeks preceding the campus sessions, an online segment will provide a basic introduction to the topics," said Tammi Riddle, director of the MSU program in the College of Business and Industry.

"The face-to-face campus portion in mid-July will begin with a review of the online training, then expand in content with the help of guest speakers from the insurance industry and government agencies, as well as field trips and lesson-plan projects," she added.

Riddle said all portions of the training meet IEF standards and guidelines, as well as MSU graduate-credit requirements. For details, visit www.distance.msstate.edu/iei.

For more MSU/IEF information--or to recommend a teacher--contact Riddle at

(662) 325-7472 or triddle@cobilan.msstate.edu; or Michelle Maclin, IEF program director, at

1-800-433-4811 or mmaclin@ief.org.