Tippie College of Business

The Vaughan Institute

of Risk Management

October 2025 Update

Working together to inspire and equip the next generation of

Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) leaders to make

the world safer, smarter, and more secure.

Happy Halloween! It's a scary world out there where risk and uncertainty looms large. But we’re choosing to innovate rather than hesitate. The Vaughan Institute continues to lead the charge in transforming risk into opportunity - uniting students, scholars, and industry leaders to shape what’s next.

Be sure to explore the RISC Summit + Innovation Challenge feature below to see this vision in action.

Key Performance Indicators

As of October 31, 2025

• 433 students enrolled in the RMI program (+37% since 10/31/24)
• 368 students enrolled in the RMI major (+40% since 10/31/24)
• 41 students enrolled in the RMI certificate (+21% since 10/31/24)
• 22 students enrolled in the MBA program with an RMI focus
• 2 RMI PhD students

Inaugural RISC Summit + Innovation Challenge

The Vaughan Institute is proud to host the inaugural RISC Summit (Risk and Insurance Strategic Collaborators) in Iowa City, November 6, 2025. This first-of-its-kind event brings together industry leaders, faculty and students from top RMI programs to explore the future of risk management and insurance through innovation, collaboration, and experiential learning.

Featuring high-impact speakers from the world of insurance, insurtech and risk innovation — including leaders from FM, Transamerica, Holmes Murphy, Cottingham & Butler, EMC, Farm Bureau, Captive Resources, Plug and Play, the GIA, Cowbell, BrokerTech Ventures, and many more — the Summit also includes a deeply human story: Dr. Patrick J. McNamara and Dr. Christian Pettker of UI Stead Children’s Hospital (home of The Wave) will share the remarkable case of delivering the world’s most premature baby — and the risk-management, clinical innovation, and collaboration that made it possible.

Students from leading risk, management & insurance programs will also compete in the RISC Innovation Challenge for a chance to win $20,000 in prize money.

Don’t miss this milestone event — check out the agenda and register today at RISC Summit 2025.

Lighting the Spark:

A 20 Year Celebration of the Vaughan Institute

Next month we celebrate the twenty year anniversary of the Vaughan Institute, and the life and legacy of Professor Emmett J. Vaughan, the visionary behind risk management and insurance education at the University of Iowa and the founding inspiration of the Vaughan Institute. This documentary highlights three chapters: Past, exploring his groundbreaking career and influence on generations of leaders; Present, showcasing the Institute’s ongoing impact through academic rigor and real-world experience; and Future, illustrating how the Vaughan Institute is preparing the next generation to innovate and shape the global risk management industry.

See the one minute trailer below. The full documentary will be shared in our November issue.

Check out our previous issues