FAIA presents $5,000 to St. Johns River State College

Dave Newell, FAIA's Director of Workforce Development and Education, recently presented a $5,000 check to St. Johns River State College to support the College’s Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) scholarship fund for students. The contribution was made possible through donations to FAIA's Good Works Fund.Accepting the check along with Dave Newell, third from the right, are SJR State Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Administrative Officer Melanie Brown, left; Safeco Insurance Territory Manager Jenny Hepp, and SJR State Director of Business Education Joel Abo.

Left to right: Davis Alexander, SJR State Business Professor Antoinette Richardson, and SJR State Director of Business Education Joel Abo were on hand when FAIA's Good Works Fund presented SJR State College its $5,000 check.

SJR State offers an RMI specialization that allows students to receive up to three Florida insurance licenses while bypassing the state exams. This program provides students with the skills and knowledge needed for employment in entry-level RMI positions and is supplemental training for persons previously or currently employed in the field but need to upgrade their skills. Additionally, the RMI program can serve as an intermediate step toward the Associate in Science degree in Business Administration.

Former SJR State student Davis Alexander took advantage of the RMI opportunity while working on his Associate in Arts degree. “The ability to take a few classes at your local college and come out a licensed professional with your degree is a great tool,” he said. “This program is really like no other out there,” Alexander continued, adding that completing the RMI classes this way removes the challenge of having to study for Florida insurance licenses after being hired and getting acclimated to the field.

SJR State offers two study options for the RMI program. For $99, students can enroll in the Online Self-Study Customer Service Representative course (4-40). Or, to obtain three insurance licenses at once (4-40, 20-44 and 2-15), students can enroll in the College’s two-year degree program.

Alexander stated how much he appreciated the on-campus experience. “Joel Abo (director of business education) was actually teaching the classes in a classroom, so I was able to get a nice face-to-face experience in a smaller classroom setting," he said. Alexander went on to become a commercial lines account manager at Thompson Baker, where he is currently employed. And for those who are also interested in working in the field, Alexander has promising news for you.

“The insurance industry is facing a massive disparity in ages of professionals, with a large group of older members on the brink of retirement and a smaller group of younger agents to replace them,” Alexander explained. “It's a very unique problem, and the beneficiaries of this problem are students who can separate themselves from other graduates,” he continued. “The value of SJR State’s RMI program is that there are thousands of opportunities available to graduates in a field that is growing every day.”