Our department’s Actuarial Program Diversity Initiative has a new name! Now called the Advancing Actuarial Opportunities (AAO) initiative, the program was started by Drs. Paul Johnson and Margie Rosenberg in 2020. The AAO initiative strives to raise awareness of actuarial science as a potential STEM career option, and its current focus is on those who are underrepresented in the profession, including the Black and Latino populations.
The initiative has maintained relationships with more than a dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs). We are happy to report that three HBCUs students enrolled in our Act Sci 303 interest theory class over the last academic year. We also connected with two new HBCUs and look forward to working with their faculty, meeting their students, and enrolling their students in UW actuarial classes next year.
Another positive development is that the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA) has publicly endorsed the AAO and included information of the initiative in their newsletters. Further, IABA members have connected with students who were participating in our AAO initiative. Paul Johnson attended the 2023 IABA Annual Meeting and spoke about our initiative, which has generated interest and support.
The AAO initiative hosted another actuarial panel discussion last fall at Madison College’s Truax Campus as part of its STEM Academy. Teachers and students were able to hear from actuaries and actuarial students about the benefits of an actuarial career and have their questions answered. We intend to host the panel discussion along with other events next year.
We are encouraged by the AAO’s progress and connections and look forward to greater successes in the coming year.
Dr. Paul Johnson, Teaching Professor, and Dr. Margie Rosenberg, Assurant Health Professor, both teach in the Risk and Insurance Department.