Gamma Iota Sigma Chapter at Morgan State University

If you are a Risk Management, Insurance or Actuarial Science degree major, or if you are curious about risk management, insurance, and actuarial science career opportunities, Gamma Iota Sigma has a lot to offer you.

HISTORY OF GAMMA IOTA SIGMA (GIS)

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The idea of a national scholastic insurance fraternity actually started to become a reality when the Griffith Foundation for Insurance Education filed for incorporation in 1965. The following year, the OSU Insurance Society, which started at The Ohio State University in the early 1960's, petitioned and was chartered as the first Gamma Iota Sigma Chapter, thereafter called Alpha Chapter. At Bowling Green State University, Beta Chapter received its charter in 1967, and in 1969, the University of Cincinnati was chartered as Gamma Chapter. There's the beginning of what has now grown into a nucleus of over 49 chapters located from California to Connecticut, and from Canada to Florida.

A Grand Chapter or Executive Committee of Gamma Iota Sigma was formed from the original fraternity planning committee, appointed by the Griffith Foundation.

The first Grand Chapter President was Warren L. Weeks, then a Griffith Foundation trustee. It was his commitment to the concept of a national student organization that lead to the eventual formation of Gamma Iota Sigma. (There currently exists a Warren L. Weeks, Sr. Scholarship presented each year to a student member. Nominations for the award are made by local chapters.)

The rationale behind establishing a national student organization, as envisioned by the founders was:

• A national fraternity has more prestige than a local society or club;
• It would facilitate communication and participation with chapter members throughout the country;
• By combining with others, the impact of the fraternity name as a visible entity would be enhanced;
• By emphasizing scholarship and leadership qualities, ties between the college membership and industry leaders would be developed; and
• There would be a synergism of academic creativity beyond the boundaries of any given university.

The Annual Management Conference was first held in 1973. Since then, many of the local chapters have hosted the conference at least once.

The Grand Chapter, initially consisting solely of Griffith Foundation trustees, has now evolved to a distinctly separate organization of insurance professionals and insurance educators, most of whom were members of Gamma Iota Sigma chapters while attending college.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY CHAPTER (ALPHA XI) HISTORY

Morgan State University became the Alpha Xi chapter of GIS in 1998, going on to win national awards while the chapter was active. The chapter became dormant a few years later; however, it was officially reactivated in 2010 with an enthusiastic group of committed members and an Executive Board equally focused on breaking all previous records set by members who came before them.