During the Spring semester, St. Thomas again offered a two credit Property/Casualty Insurance course. It covers everything from the basics of negligence and tort law, to personal insurance coverages (auto, home), and then delves into the world of commercial insurance with sections focused on liability, workers compensation, commercial property, as well as crime and surety bonds. The course is a mix of lecture, industry speakers, and group discussions and projects which allow the students the chance to go deeper on emerging topics in the industry.

Wesley Griffiths, a 25 year insurance industry veteran and Actuary at Travelers, is serving as the course instructor this year. “I’ve enjoyed meeting the students and introducing them to the exciting world of property and casualty insurance. At its core, our industry is about helping people when bad things happen. We don’t talk about that enough and that message is really resonating with the students.” Griffiths said. He has recruited several industry professionals in the Twin Cities to join him each week and speak to the students about their career journeys into insurance, what they do, what challenges are facing the industry, and to share some advice on the transition from college to full time work. “Getting in front of students, sharing different career opportunities, and bringing insurance to life through real stories is how we get more students interested in the industry. They don’t know what they don’t know, so the exposure matters!”

The course had full enrollment this Spring and includes students with varying majors from Finance, Marketing, Management, Business Law, Actuarial Science, Data Analytics, and Journalism. “Whether these students pursue careers within insurance or not, my hope is that being exposed to these concepts makes them more informed consumers of these products and makes them better personal risk managers in their everyday lives.”