The Academy Celebrates 30th Anniversary

 
AUSTIN, TX, January 30, 2013 – The National Alliance Research Academy was founded in 1983 to respond to a recognized need for objective insurance industry research that would be of value to independent insurance agencies.  The 24 founders adopted the ‘lamp of knowledge’ as a logo and The Academy set out to illuminate ‘knowledge through understanding and achievement through excellence.’  During the past 30 years, The Academy has met this objective by publishing a wide variety of research monographs and studies as well as developing educational programs to advance the professionalism of industry and risk management practitioners.

The Academy was originally founded as The Academy of Producer Insurance Studies, and research efforts initially focused upon the independent agency sales system.  The first educational program that the organization developed, the Dynamics of Selling Program, reflected this area of industry emphasis, as did one of the first publications: Growth and Performance Standards.  Today, GPS is in its 10th edition and three additional Dynamics programs are available: the Dynamics of Sales Management, the Dynamics of Personal Insurance, and the Dynamics of Company/Agency Relationships.

The Academy serves as the research and development arm of The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, and research conducted by The Academy is incorporated into programs conducted by The National Alliance.  The Academy has also been responsible for the development of educational programs that are now conducted by The National Alliance.  In addition to the Dynamics programs, The Academy has developed: The National Alliance Producer School, the Certified Risk Manager program (CRM), the University Accredited Certified Risk Manager program (UACRM), and the University Accredited Certified Insurance Counselor Program (UACIC). 

The Academy currently offers 21 publications that reflect its evolution from The Academy of Producer Insurance Studies to The National Alliance Research Academy, a change consistent with the wider-ranging industry research that The Academy had begun to conduct.  In addition to the Growth and Performance Standards, The Academy now offers publications based on research collected in other national surveys: The Producer Profile, The CSR Profile, and The Risk Manager Profile.  The Essentials Series of publications are in-depth learning and reference sources: Property & Casualty Insurance Essentials, Life & Benefits Essentials, and Risk Management Essentials. Other Academy publications focus upon sales and marketing, agency management, or areas of specific industry interest such as Executive Liability Insurance.  The newest publication offered by The Academy is Net Income Risk Management.  

The Academy is a non-profit corporation funded entirely through publication sales and affiliation dues. Today The Academy has 47 corporate Research Associates and 18,430 Fellows members.  With the ongoing commitment of these industry supporters, the flame of knowledge lit by The Academy 30 years ago will burn brighter into a future illuminated by practical research of everyday value to insurance and risk management professionals who desire to achieve industry excellence. 

For further information, contact The National Alliance, P.O. Box 27027, Austin, Texas 78755-2027; 800-633-2165; website:  www.TheNationalAlliance.com.