Three The University of Olivet graduate students were awarded scholarships by the Spencer Educational Foundation. Kaylene Candela, Meredith Dearing, CPCU, AIS, and Justin Ruehs, CPCU, ARM, AU, CIC, AAI, MBA, are all pursuing their Master of Business Administration degrees at Olivet.
Justin is currently working on his second master’s from Olivet — in 2019, he completed a Master of Business Administration in Insurance and in 2022, he will complete his Master of Business Administration in Enterprise Risk Management. “As a lifelong learner, I enjoy keeping my skills and knowledge in my field sharp,” Justin said
Spencer Ed is a nationwide organization focused on assisting students majoring in risk management, insurance, business and actuarial science. It offers a variety of resources for students, such as listing job openings on their website, offering online seminars for students and awarding grants and scholarships that range between $5,000 and $10,000. Olivet students have won a variety of Spencer scholarships in the past, including five recent undergraduate students: Elizabeth Fisher, Alexis Hanchett, Delaney Peters, Allyson Sears and Zoie Walters.
All three graduate students who were awarded part-time master’s scholarships worth up to $10,000 from Spencer Ed. “The scholarship removes the financial barrier of returning to school,” Justin said. Once finished with his next four classes, he will have completed his second graduate degree, allowing Justin to further his career in the industry.
Justin came to Olivet because personal connections to the school. “Some high school classmates attend(ed) Olivet for its golf program,” he said. He also heard about it from the former director of the insurance and risk management program, Carol Breed, who helped lead his CIC designation program. “Olivet has a solid reputation for its insurance and risk management programs, both undergraduate and graduate,” Justin said.
Currently, Justin is employed as large property underwriter at Liberty Mutual. He is also an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion within the insurance industry. Justin recommends that other professionals consider The University of Olivet as an option for their graduate studies. “As a working professional, I like the hybrid format of live virtual learning … in a class setting with peers at a pace that is manageable with outside commitments, in addition to being able to transfer in credits earned through professional designation programs through The Institutes.”
The University of Olivet’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program offers three specialized concentrations: Insurance (MBA-Insurance), Enterprise Risk Management (MBA-ERM), and a General or “custom” concentration that tailors the curriculum to students’ individual goals.
The University of Olivet believes anyone desiring to earn a master’s degree should have that opportunity. The College is committed to fair and objective admission policies to ensure an inclusive and diverse student body. The University of Olivet believes that educated, high-level industry professionals enrich communities across the country and society as a whole.
For more information about earning your MBA from The University of Olivet, contact Mike Lazusky, director of adult professional and graduate admissions, at 269-749-6612 or mlazusky@uolivet.edu.
This feature was written by Bray Wright, marketing and communications student intern. She is an English major and writing minor, a scholarship winner of the Global Citizen Honors Program and a staff member of the Garfield Lake Review. A self-proclaimed storyteller, she plans on going into the publishing industry after college.
Menu