URMIA Members in the News

 
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Help us welcome our newest members, and see what professional updates your colleagues have to share from the last month.

Meet URMIA's Newest Members!

URMIA Member Margaret Tungseth Joins Hamline University



URMIA Member
Margaret Tungseth
Hamline University is pleased to announce the appointment of Margaret Tungseth as senior vice president for business, finance and technology. Tungseth comes to Hamline from Central College in Pella, Iowa, where she currently serves as treasurer and vice president for finance and administration. At Hamline, Tungseth will provide leadership and management of the university’s finance, ITS, facilities services, and human resources departments. She will begin her duties at Hamline on September 1.

At Central College, Tungseth oversees facilities, IT, human resources, dining services, and conferences and events departments. She leads preparation of the university’s budget and works directly with the Board of Trustees’ finance, audit, physical plant, and investment committees. She provides direction for and oversees the personnel, budgetary, and operational functions of the college, capital projects, financial analysis, endowment and deferred gift instruments.

“Margaret Tungseth is an experienced, accomplished, and articulate leader who will provide us with critical guidance and insight in her role as senior vice president,” said Hamline President, Dr. Linda Hanson. “She brings with her vast experience in the areas of finance, facilities, human resources, and technology management, and I believe she will be a wonderful addition to our leadership team.”

In her time at Central College, Tungseth has successfully restructured long-term debt and refinanced bond issuances. She has vetted and selected new coverage for the college’s insurance and risk management brokerage services, which resulted in improved coverage, lower premium cost, and enhanced services. She created a campus 403B investment committee, which resulted in significantly enhanced employee offerings in 2012. She also led the planning and development of a campus center renovation and upgrades to the football, soccer, and baseball stadiums.

On her new role, Tungseth said, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join such a well-respected institution as Hamline University. I look forward to working with the campus community and am energized by the possibilities ahead.”

Previously, Tungseth served four years as assistant treasurer and director of risk management and nine years as deferred gifts accountant and insurance administrator at Concordia College. She also taught introductory and upper level accounting courses for six years at Concordia College. Prior to her roles in higher education, she spent 16 years as an accountant.

Tungseth has held several community and industry leadership positions. From 2003-2013 she served on the national board of the University Risk Management and Insurance Association as president and in other officer and executive committee roles. From 2003-2010, she held various positions on the board of the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber of Commerce, from director to becoming board chair. From 1999-2008, she served the Fargo-Moorhead YMCA in similar positions, including service as president.

Tungseth earned a master of business administration with an emphasis on accounting and finance from North Dakota State University, a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Minnesota State University Moorhead, and a bachelor of arts degree in economics and political science from Concordia College. She is also a CPA.

URMIA Member Elizabeth Carmichael Featured in Risk and Insurance Magazine

 
URMIA Member
Elizabeth Carmichael
URMIA member Elizabeth Carmichael, director of compliance and risk management at Five Colleges Inc., was featured in Risk and Insurance Magazine's "Risk Insider" column where she wrote on the importance of including risk managers in the compliance process. Read Elizabeth's article here or in the News Briefs section of this month's URMIA Insights.






On Call International Issues Study Abroad Guidelines for Academic Faculties and Students
Salem, NH – On Call International today announced its official guidelines to help academic institutions safeguard students and faculty embarking on study abroad programs. When used in conjunction with a proactive travel risk management plan, this advice can help protect the health and safety of academic travelers.  

According to the Institute of International Education, nearly 284,000 American students studied abroad for academic credit during the 2011-2012 academic year – and more than 150 U.S. colleges have pledged to increase their study abroad participation rates as part of a new national initiative called Generation Study Abroad. On Call anticipates the rising participation in study abroad programs will lead to a higher volume of students and faculty who encounter emergencies while abroad.

“Responsibility for the well-being of traveling students and faculty falls on the academic institution sending them abroad,” said Michael J. Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, On Call International. “Colleges and universities that have a proactive strategy in place are typically more successful in reducing travel-related emergencies, and they are also better prepared in the event of a crisis abroad. Our guidelines should be used as part of an institution’s proactive approach to implement a successful travel risk management program.”

On Call International recommends academic institutions affiliated with study abroad programs incorporate the following strategies within their travel risk management programs to safeguard students and faculty prior to and during travel:

  • Design response procedures to manage emergencies abroad. Ensure clear communication of the protocols throughout your entire institution (even to staff not traveling), so everyone understands their roles in the event of a crisis. In addition, create a pre-travel education program that informs students and faculty about how to avoid travel risks and what to do in case of an emergency.
  • Share pertinent information about known health risks in destination countries and encourage students and faculty to stay up-to-date on all routine vaccinations (such as influenza, measles and mumps) as well as other travel-related health issues in their destinations. The CDC’s Traveler’s Health website maintains current information for each country.
  • Register travelers with the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for timely updates on travel warnings and alerts via email. Entering each traveler’s information on the site (including emergency contacts) will help the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate locate them in the event of an emergency.
  • Ensure all travelers have health insurance and medical evacuation coverage outside the United States since many health insurance programs don’t extend coverage overseas. Adding supplemental travel assistance coverage will protect both academic travelers and their institutions from unforeseen medical expenses, including costly medical evacuation charges (which can be upwards of $100,000 per incident) in the event of a crisis. 
  • Assign a designated representative – whether from the study abroad, risk management or HR department – to share a country-specific health and safety overview with each traveler (or, ask your travel assistance firm to do it for you) that includes:
  • Review of the U.S. State Department’s current travel warnings to ensure the destination is not included in the list. 
  • Country-Specific Information for details on crime rates, places to avoid, and any other threats that may occur to personal safety.
  • Emergency preparedness such as adding local emergency response numbers to mobile phone contacts and keeping emergency contact numbers handy.
  • Details about local driving customs and rules since motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of deaths to healthy Americans traveling abroad. 
  • Common sense safety guidelines such as: Do not carry too much cash, keep your wallet and smartphone tucked away securely, and always travel with a group if possible.