Jim Jones, Executive Director of the Katie School

As the Executive Director of the Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State University, it is my pleasure to welcome you to campus, and congratulations on being selected to the Redbird Risk Management Challenge! Dr. Kevin Ahlgrim and I will be guiding you through many many challenging activities, all involving you having to identify and manage risk. You will also have lots of fun working with talented students from around the country.

Today we welcome 14 students from all across the United States. We have students coming from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and New Jersey. We hope you enjoy your time at Illinois State and we are glad to have you on Campus!

During the week, these students will operate in teams running a business. Your business will have a number of chances to generate revenue. Your team will also manage certain risks for your business. Your ability to manage these risks will affect your success as much as your ability to earn revenue. This is a competitive program, and we will have many small competitions within the game as well. The top two winning teams will receive prizes. Play fair, respect your teammates and competitors, and have fun!

The Katie School Risk Management Challenge is funded by the generous offers of our corporate sponsors. We would like to thank State Farm, COUNTRY Financial, and Travelers for their support along with support of all the industry sponsors who contribute to the Katie School Hall of Fame. The Katie School Hall of Fame supports our efforts in developing risk management literacy and careers in risk management for students and teachers in secondary education.

The Katie School is recognized by A.M. Best as one of the four top performers in the United States. The program has also been recognized as a Center for Global Insurance Excellence (GCIE). The actuarial program at ISU has been designated as a Center for Actuarial Excellence and is a Causality Actuarial Society University Award Winner.

• Learn more about the Katie School: https://business.illinoisstate.edu/katie/about/

• More information on the Redbird Risk Management Challenge: https://business.illinoisstate.edu/katie/outreach/risk