40th Anniversary of Actuarial Education in Australia Conference 

29 September 2008
MGSM Executive Hotel & Conference Centre   

Regstration is now open. Please register online.

On Monday, 29 September 2008, Macquarie University is holding a one day conference marking 40 years of Actuarial Education at Australian Universities.  Hopefully this will evolve into an annual or biennial Actuarial Education Conference rotated between the “actuarial” universities.

From a modest start, actuarial education in Australia has grown into a system aspired to by countries around the world.There are now 5 accredited Australian universities with more accreditations likely. The present system owes a great deal to those who 40 years ago, (especially Professor Alf Pollard and the then Institute leaders) had vision and initiative.

Can universities respond in a similarly inspired way to the current challenges?

The aim of the conference is to discuss actuarial education issues from the university or academic perspective, with the conference being of interest to all those involved in actuarial education.

Possible topics for the conference:

• Is the actuarial syllabus (in particular Part I) too crowded?  
• Does the exemption syllabus have appropriate depth and breadth?
• How best to stimulate research student enrolments and research activity?
• Are the university programs and actuarial departments too narrowly focussed?
• Do the programs attract the right kinds of student and then educate and develop them appropriately?
• How can the accreditation process be improved?
• How best can universities cooperate and compete?
• International developments – how should universities to respond?
• Differences and similarities between the different university programs.
• Part II and Part III issues – differences, aspirations, challenges.
• Should actuaries “batten down” or embrace the competition

 
Contact: Maree Moses

Website updated as more information comes to hand.