Member Update From Ellie Kennedy

Sept. 2024

Today marks a year since I first walked through the doors at United Educators.  

Hearing from our members and brokers has been a powerful reminder of our mission’s importance. And today’s troubling risk landscape for education highlights the importance of our collaboration with you. 

While you are wrestling with an intense pace of change for education, including economic and societal pressures, K-12 schools and colleges are also feeling the impact of the increasing severity of claims in insurance premiums. That is true for all insurance, not just the liability component.  

The ads for plaintiffs’ attorneys peppering the highways I see while traveling to visit our member campuses reflect a fragment of the big investments in litigation that contribute to the rising cost of claims. In fact, for 2023 that amounted to an estimated $1.2 billion on TV ads and $13 billion in third-party litigation financing.  

Those external factors will not diminish our commitment to supporting education. Education is all we do. One of the strengths of our captive is the breadth of our membership. From large state university systems to small boarding and charter schools, to rural, suburban and urban locales, to public, private and independent structures, our members serve diverse communities. 

At the same time, our focus on education gives us unique insights to help you with risk management and risk transfer. Our expertise, built over more than 35 years, is unmatched.  

We look forward to working with you and exploring whether there are new ways we can help you better address your evolving risk transfer and coverage needs. Send your ideas and questions via email so we can connect you with the right person here at UE.  

Thank you for your trust and partnership. It is our privilege to serve you.  

Best,

Rick
Richard Mills
President and CEO

Aug. 2024

This is a busy time of year for education leaders. It is also a time of concentrated risks. To help you keep your campus safe, we’ve assembled risk management resources on key topics.

Here are links for you along with other news of interest:

• Timely risk management offerings to support your return to campus:
  • Campus Demonstrations and Conflicts Resource Collection [NEW]
  • Student Travel Resource Collection [UPDATED]
  • Title IX and VAWA-Campus SaVE Act Resource Collection [UPDATED]
  • Alcohol and Substance Misuse Resource Collection
• UE earned an A (Excellent) financial strength rating for the 26th consecutive year from AM Best.
• Our Top Risks Survey is live. Click here to participate so we can learn your view of your campus community’s top concerns.

Are you attending the URMIA Annual Conference in New Orleans next month? I hope you’ll join me and Bryan Elie, UE’s Vice President of Underwriting and Product Development, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 8 a.m. CDT for a discussion of Headline Risks and How They Impact the Various Organizations in the Higher Education Space. Let us know. We’d love to connect with you in person.

As always, we’re grateful to have you as a partner and welcome your input on ways we can serve your needs.

Best wishes for a safe and successful semester,

Sarah
Vice President of Risk Management

May 2024

We value your partnership, especially during a challenging time for education.

We know you have questions about insurance premiums and how United Educators (UE), as a member-owned captive, is navigating the liability insurance market. 

Watch this seven-minute video with answers to the most frequently asked questions we get from you, our members.

Here’s a document with additional information About Your Renewal and Premium. [Log in with your My UE account to access the PDF. Contact UE Support if you need help logging in.] 

You own this company, and we’re eager to help you solve your liability concerns.   

We hope you’ll contact us by email or phone, if not in person, to share your own insights.  

Best,

Rick
Richard Mills
President and CEO

Snow marked the start of 2024 at the United Educators (UE) office, making me, as a Vermonter, feel more at home than ever. I’m grateful for the many opportunities I’ve had over the last five months to connect with members and industry leaders from NBOA, URMIA, brokers, reinsurers, regulators and The Institutes. With your partnership, we’re carefully navigating the challenges of the liability marketplace and the rising cost of claims.

Member-owner governance is a key component of our enduring success as a risk management and insurance company.

A few key updates:

• Our Subscribers’ Advisory Board met in December to discuss our 2023 corporate performance and 2024 strategic planning.
• We’re maintaining limits capacity consistent with 2023, subject to underwriting approval.
• We just published our newest Large Loss Report to help you better understand the evolving liability landscape.
• We distributed Top Risks Reports for independent K-12 schools and higher education institutions detailing the biggest risks our members believe their institutions face. 
• Join a live UE in Brief 30-minute webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 1:30 p.m. EST to discuss our insights on critical risks for education in 2024. Register here.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be traveling coast to coast to see members, meet with our Broker Advisory Committee, and attend APCIA’s CEO Roundtable and other industry events.

I look forward to exploring new ways we can partner with you and support your evolving needs. Thank you for sharing our commitment to the important work sustaining education and helping keep our campus communities safe.

Best,

Rick
Richard Mills
President and CEO

I want to draw your attention to new risk management resources and key happenings at United Educators (UE).

• In November, we hosted our Risk Management Advisory Committee (RMAC). We learned about risks that are top of mind for our members. We also heard insights from UE Board Member Heather Hoerle, CEO, Enrollment Management Association, and Jonathan Fansmith, SVP, Government Relations and National Engagement, American Council on Education.
  
  
• Next week, the Subscribers’ Advisory Board will meet at our offices to discuss our corporate 2023 performance and 2024 strategic planning as part of our member-owner governance.
  
  
• Recent UE risk management offerings include:
  • Risk Treatment Framework and Questionnaire
  • K-12 and Higher Ed: Recognizing and Avoiding Race, Color, and National Origin Discrimination
  • Avoid Misrepresentations to Current and Prospective Students

Results of our Top Risks Survey will be released next week — providing you insights on your peers’ views of concerns on their campuses. Thanks to all who responded.

Feel free to contact our team at risk@ue.org if you have questions about how we can support your risk management efforts.

Best wishes,

Sarah Braughler
Vice President of Risk Management