Inside the Academy

June 2008

  • Have you taken the volunteer questionnaire yet?
  • Wanted: Nominees for prestigious public service award
  • Academy publications win national awards
  • Mark your calendar: Annual meeting set for Oct. 27
  • New health policy analyst joins Academy
  • Academy staffers and kids race for the cure
  • Qualification Standard FAQ
  • Selected events
  • Let us hear from you
 US Capitol

Have you taken the volunteer questionnaire yet?

Whether you are a first-time volunteer at the Academy or a seasoned veteran, now's the time to fill out this year's volunteer questionnaire. All members are encouraged to respond to it before it is removed from the Academy website on July 1.

The questionnaire will be used to help match as many members as possible with current or future projects and committees. The questionnaire was first given in 2007, as part of volunteer recruitment efforts that led to more than 200 placements of Academy members on various committees. The questionnaire has been improved this year, and should take no more than five minutes to complete.

And your participation matters. "The Academy depends vitally on its volunteers, both as a critical element in conducting the work of the Academy and as an important element in keeping the focus of the Academy's work compatible with the needs of its members," noted Bob Conger, chairperson of the Academy's Volunteer Resources Committee.

  • Log in to the Academy website and click on the first link under "2008 volunteer questionnaire." It should only take a few minutes to complete.
  • Find out why Academy President Bill Bluhm wants your input—and why members' involvement in the Academy is so important.

The questionnaire marks the second time this month that Academy members have been invited to give us feedback online. More than 1,800 of you participated in the recent communication survey, and we thank each of you for your thoughtful responses. The survey answers, which were submitted anonymously, are now being compiled. They will be used to help evaluate and improve member communications.

Wanted: Nominees for prestigious public service award

Do you know an actuary who deserves to be honored for a career devoted to public service or for one exceptional contribution to the common good? If so, nominate him or her for the 2008 Robert J. Myers Public Service Award. All nominations are due by July 15.

The nominee can be a current or former government employee, the employee of an organization whose primary focus is government work, or an unpaid volunteer at a philanthropic organization. Public work completed by a paid consultant, a member of an actuarial committee, or an officer of an actuarial organization is ineligible. Recent winners include Frank Dino, a former chief actuary for two states’ insurance divisions, and Richard Foster, the chief actuary for Medicaid and Medicare.

  • Get more information about the Myers Award and previous recipients.
  • Nominate an actuary for the 2008 Myers Award via e-mail.
  • Nominate an actuary for the 2008 Myers Award with a form you can mail or fax.

Academy publications win national awards

Once again, the Academy's member publications have been singled out for national recognition. Last week, the Actuarial Update and Contingencies magazine took home two Excel Awards given by the Society of National Association Publications (SNAP).

The Actuarial Update won a silver Excel Award for general excellence. Daniel Skwire's cover story, "Uncalculated Risks: The Working Lives of Wallace Stevens," in the September/October 2007 Contingencies won an honorable mention for best feature article. Both Contingencies and the Update have collected a number of other SNAP awards in recent years.

You can read the online version of the Actuarial Update on the Academy website. Noteworthy stories in the June issue include:

  • a profile of Academy Executive Director Grace Hinchman
  • an article on the Public Interest Committee and how it will help the Academy advocate for the public on appropriate topics in the public interest
  • A Hong Kong case study in principle-based reserving
  • a summary of the Academy's participation in a recent FASB insurance forum

Mark your calendar: Annual meeting set for Oct. 27

The Academy's 2008 annual meeting will be held Oct. 27 in Bonita Springs, Fla., in conjunction with the Conference of Consulting Actuaries' annual meeting. The meeting is open to all Academy members.

During the two-hour luncheon meeting, new members of the Board of Directors will be elected and John Parks will be installed as the new Academy president. Other highlights will include an address by a keynote speaker and the presentation of the two awards the Academy bestows annually: the Jarvis Farley Service Award and the Robert J. Myers Public Service Award.

The site of the meeting will be the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Hotel in Bonita Springs. Further details, including registration information, will be provided when they are finalized. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact Denise Winston at the Academy (winston@actuary.org, 202.223.8196).

New health policy analyst joins Academy

Dianna Pell is the Academy's new state health policy analyst. Pell previously served as legislative coordinator for the Missouri Department of Insurance and as a county economic development director. She succeeds Geralyn Trujillo, who is now director of state government affairs for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Academy staffers and kids race for the cure

The Academy team calls itself "Everyday People," but it was far from ordinary in its debut at the 2008 Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure in Washington. The team’s 12 members raised $2,620 for breast cancer research and community health programs, putting them in the top 13 percent of all the teams that participated in the June 7 event. In all, nearly $5 million was raised.

The team is made up of seven Academy staffers, four of their children, and one former employee. The staffers are Kate Callahan, Tina Getachew, Joe Grimes, Doreen Moaning, Tireaka Peppers, Kasha Shelton, and Denise Winston.


Qualification Standards FAQ

Each month, Inside the Academy and the Actuarial Update are featuring a frequently asked question about the Qualification Standards. This month's FAQ is the second in the series.

Q. Does the continuing education (CE) requirement include any mandatory content?

A. Actuaries are required to complete and document at least 30 credits of relevant CE each calendar year. (Since 2008 is a transition year, the minimum CE requirement is 24.) That must include at least three credits on professionalism topics and six credits from organized activities. CE on business skills and consulting topics is not mandatory, and the Qualification Standards allow no more than three CE credits on those topics to count toward the annual CE requirement.

The Qualification Standards include a description of what is considered relevant continuing education. They also state that ultimately, it is an actuary’s responsibility to make a reasonable, good-faith determination of what CE opportunities will enhance his or her ability to practice in a desired field.

For additional information regarding CE, transition rules, or requirements for organized activities, visit www.actuary.org/qualstandards. For an update on the Qualification Standards, and to earn organized activity and professionalism CE to satisfy your 2008 CE requirements, consider attending the Academy’s June 25 webcast for a minimal fee of $25.

Selected events

Academy webcasts

Academy seminars

Other events

Want to see more?

Visit the North American Actuarial CE Calendar for information about other CE events sponsored by the Academy, the SOA, the CAS, the CCA, ASPPA, and other national actuarial organizations.

Let us hear from you

If you have suggestions, questions, or criticism about Inside the Academy, please contact Managing Editor Anne Asplen (asplen@actuary.org, 202-223-8196). We appreciate your feedback.