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A Family Tradition PRESTIGIOUS APPOINTMENTS AND GROUNDBREAKING OPPORTUNITIES ARE MERELY TOOLS THIS PROFESSOR USES TO ENHANCE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES. INSURANCE IS NOT A WORD THAT INSPIRES PASSION IN MOST PEOPLE. But Terri Vaughan’s enthusiasm for the subject is rivaled only by the pleasure she derives from sharing her knowledge and experience in the industry with her students. Vaughan spent several years as the director of the Insurance Center and chair of the Insurance Department at Drake teaching insurance and actuarial science courses and coordinating student internships and job placement. She loved the work, but left Drake in 1994 for what was supposed to be a two-year leave of absence. When Vaughan was appointed as the first female insurance commissioner of Iowa during this time, that two years turned quickly into 10 as she led the state’s regulatory authority on insurance for more than a decade over the course of two administrations — one Republican and one Democrat. Ultimately, that opportunity proved to be an experience that would further assist Vaughan in her passion for teaching when she returned to Drake as the Robb B. Kelley Distinguished Professor of Insurance in 2005. “I relished the chance to gain more insight on practical applications of the theory I had been teaching,” she says. TEACHING IS A FAMILY LEGACY passed down to Vaughan from her father, Emmett, who served as a professor of insurance at the University of Iowa for 41 years. Vaughan keeps a picture of her father, a dignified gentleman with a grey beard, situated prominently on her desk. It’s a reminder, perhaps, of his work that she is carrying on while forging a path of her own. In 1972, Emmett published the college textbook Fundamentals of Risk and Insurance, an introductory comprehensive survey of insurance. Vaughan joined him as co-author in 1994 and continued publication of the book after he passed away in 2004. The 10th edition, with both Vaughans listed as co-authors, was published in fall 2007. VAUGHAN PUTS HER CONNECTIONS TO WORK , bringing representatives from
the industry and government to her classroom to share their knowledge with students. She’s currently teaching Personal Risk Management to undergraduates and a graduate class, Regulatory Environment and Financial Institutions. The constant change and immediacy of the insurance field keeps her on top of the issues, and her positions in government and the corporate world provide her students the benefit of her experience and connections. “Des Moines’ huge insurance industry gives students lots of opportunities to interact with the business world,” she says. “The professional connections available to them are limitless.” — Emily Kruse
The Magazine of Drake University
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