MUNCIE, Ind. - A gift to Ball State University from the State Farm Companies Foundationthe State Farm Companies will fund programs in the university's new Center for Actuarial Science, Insurance, and Risk Management.

The foundation gave $25,000 to Above and Beyond: The Campaign to Advance Ball State University. The gift will support student activities in the new center, including professional conference attendance and faculty research.

A combination of the actuarial program in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the insurance program in the Department of Finance, its purpose is to better prepare students for careers in the insurance and financial services industry and to support increased faculty research.

The partnership is the sort of investment State Farm Insurance Companies like to see, says Mary Reece, vice president of operations.

"Our mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams," she said. "The center's creation is an indication to us that Ball State understands what our industry needs from the graduates of its programs."

Joseph "Skip" McCarthy, an agency field executive with State Farm who graduated from Ball State in 1967, agreed.

"We know the quality of the professionals Ball State has helped produce in the past," he said. "We're excited to see what the new center can accomplish in the areas of student and professional connections and faculty research for the insurance and financial services industry."

The State Farm Companies Foundation was established in 1963 to support not-for-profit organizations, primarily higher education through scholarship programs and grants to colleges and universities.

(Note to Editors: For more information about this story contact Lori Rader at 765-285-1560 or lrader@bsu.edu.)