March 3, 2021
The global reach of St. John’s University’s Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science (GSRM), part of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, is indisputable. The School regularly attracts a diverse group of students to study the economic, financial, and legal theories at the heart of corporate risk management in New York City, the financial capital of the world.
Equally indisputable is the generous support of global insurance industry leaders who have long invested in the quality academic programs and the next generation of insurance professionals studying at GSRM. When the global COVID-19 pandemic struck, the financial needs of GSRM students were compounded by the far-reaching economic consequences of the crisis. Understanding that the economic role of insurance is to facilitate growth, the GSRM Board of Overseers stepped up to assist with a targeted fundraising effort to help students.
John W. Keogh, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Chubb Group and Chairman of the Board of Overseers of the GSRM, recently announced that the School was able to raise one million dollars for the benefit of its students. “We are grateful to the Overseers and other donors for their generous contributions,” he said. “The donations raised will support student scholarships and programs.”
From its location at 101 Astor Place in Manhattan’s East Village, St. John’s awards undergraduate, M.B.A., and M.S. degrees in the insurance, risk management, and actuarial science disciplines. Brandon W. Sweitzer, Dean of the GSRM, observed, “Never before in the School’s history have students faced such adversity and financial constraints. The kindness and generosity of our donors helps the next generation of insurance and actuarial leaders.”
Another impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is that in-person fundraising events have been curtailed. One such event is the annual Insurance Leader of the Year dinner that regularly attracts more than 1,000 attendees to celebrate and support the GSRM. The insurance industry, by virtue of the number of premiums it collects, the scale of its investment, and more importantly, the essential social and economic role it plays by covering personal and business risks, is a major component of the economy.
On January 19, 2022, at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan, the School will continue its time-honored tradition of acknowledging the Insurance Leader of the Year. Tricia Griffith, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Progressive Corporation, will be the 26th recipient and first female to be bestowed with that honor.
“The pandemic forced us to postpone this prestigious event in 2021,” Mr. Keogh noted. “We look forward to seeing our colleagues in the industry in early 2022 when we pay tribute to Ms. Griffith and continue to raise the funds needed for our highly regarded educational program.”
Norean R. Sharpe, Ph.D., Dean and Joseph H. and Maria C. Schwartz Distinguished Chair, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, acknowledged, “Tobin is one of the leading business schools in the country. By building on the academic strengths of the GSRM and educating our students in the discipline of risk management, we prepare all of our students to be future business leaders. We could not do this without the partnership and philanthropy of the insurance industry and the leadership of the GSRM Board of Overseers.”
Information regarding the campaign and acknowledgment of its generous donors can be found at www.stjohns.edu/supportfund. For information regarding the January 2022 Insurance Leader of the Year Award Dinner, please contact Maureen Furlong Weber, Director, Greenberg School of Risk Management, at 212-277-5111; [email protected].