An excess and surplus lines insurance association expects tofully fund a $1 million endowment at Georgia State University, witha major boost from Scottsdale Insurance Company, it wasannounced.

Bernie Heinze, executive director of the King of Prussia,Pa.-based American Association of Managing General Agents, saidScottsdale's unspecified "leadership gift"--the biggest giftpledged to date--means that AAMGA University's endowment of anE&S chair at Georgia State is now 80 percent funded.

Mr. Heinze declined to reveal the exact dollar figure ofScottsdale's funding commitment at the request of the insurer.

Michael Miller, Scottsdale's president, said last week that hiscompany's decision to contribute to funding the E&S chair wasmore than a response to the idea of advancing educational programsfocused on surplus lines through a nationally recognizeduniversity, although that was an original impetus.

Beyond that, he suggested there may be a broader opportunity tochange the public perception of the insurance industry.

"Part of my belief is that the insurance industry, at times, isnot as informing to the public as it ought to be," Mr. Millersaid.

"While we do great things, it doesn't come across that way," hesaid, referring to the insurance industry generally.

"It's a little bit tangentially connected, but the fact that wewould have a significant university in the United States that wouldhave a chair funded by the E&S [excess and surplus linesinsurance] industry could provide an opportunity in my mind tocontinue to educate the public about the things that occur in theinsurance industry," he said.

Mr. Miller said Scottsdale's significant contribution toward theGSU chair was driven more directly by two key factors--the chair'sfocus on E&S and Scottsdale's commitment to education.

Georgia State will become a leader in "research and leadershipdevelopment specifically tied to the E&S industry," he said,noting that the chair will help guide and advance educationalinitiatives focused on the development of E&S professionalsthat AAMGA has in place through its AAMGA University programs.

"At Scottsdale Insurance, we're very focused on continuing toeducate our people," Mr. Miller said. "We think it's very importantas a company to have people who are interested in their personaldevelopment," he said, adding that it's equally important for thecompany "to find more and more ways...for them to further theireducation."

The creation of an AAMGA Distinguished Chair at Georgia State'sJ. Mack Robinson School of Insurance and Risk Management was firstannounced in June 2007.

Mr. Heinze said the chair will have a professor assignedexclusively to E&S who will work "to understand opportunitieswithin the E&S and admitted [specialty marketplace], to doresearch, provide whitepapers, provide classroom education and giveyoung people an opportunity to see what our marketplace is allabout."

Beyond the endowment of the GSU chair, AAMGA is also making arenewed commitment to an internship program this year, Mr. Heinzesaid.

Going forward, the existing AAMGA internship program, which waspreviously limited to the sons and daughters of AAMGA members, willbe opened up to other college students, and to high school studentsalso.

In addition, the revamped program will have a flexible structureresponding to the needs of students, he said, noting, for example,that a student might choose to intern for as many as 12 weeks withan AAMGA member company or for only as short a time as one week, ifthat is preferable to a particular student.