American College Unveils Senior Advisor Designation

In-classroom instruction at the colleges Bryn Mawr campus also is available. But Barton says that 93% of the institutions 38,000 students opt for distance learning. Of the total, approximately 90% of students are U.S.-based; the rest are mainly from Singapore, Malaysia, India and China.

A key target market for the initiative is the institutions 150,000 degree holders: Chartered Life Underwriters (CLUs), Chartered Financial Consultants (ChFCs), Registered Health Underwriters (RHUs), Certified Financial Planners (CFPs), plus individuals holding the colleges Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS).

Students holding the CLU, ChFC or CFP designations will automatically receive credit for 2 of the 5 courses. In addition to passing the 5 exams, graduates must take an ethics pledge. The college, says Barton, "reserves the right to strip students of the CASL degree if we find any improprieties."

Barton estimates the full curriculum, on average, will entail "one year of study." Refreshers courses for alumni will be required biannually.

In the first 2 weeks following its launch on April 1, approximately 100 students signed up for the program, says Barton.

The American College created the curriculum with an advisory committee of industry professionals. Eleven companies participated in the programs development, including Bankers Life and Casualty, GE Financial Assurance, John Hancock, MassMutual, MetLife, Mutual of Omaha, New York Life, Northwestern Mutual, Physicians Mutual, Prudential Financial and State Farm.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Edition, April 16, 2004. Copyright 2004 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.