Greater diversity. A new generation of students and faculty. Emerging risks from climate change, Title IX, cyber threats and benefits exposure. It requires uncommon solutions that will work today and prepare you for what lies ahead. The Gallagher Higher Education consulting and risk management team is ready. We work across property/casualty, human resources and student populations to provide insurance and risk management solutions. Overall, we manage change for greater sustainability.
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Higher Education Resources

Offering decades of higher education industry experience.

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Curiosity meets competence, for a world of better coverage

Higher Education institutions are complex communities comprised of students, faculty, staff and invited guests. They have their own unique infrastructure consisting of diverse operations, which range from operating large utilities to exploring advancements in the use of nano-technology. The Gallagher Higher Education risk management and consulting team understands the unique needs of these communities and how risk management can be used to support the mission of colleges and universities.

Experienced local professionals supported by strong global resources

It is rare to find a single brokerage office with the range of skills necessary to serve a complex higher education account. It is even rarer to find a dedicated service team with these diverse skills. We changed our service model to recognize the needs of local service teams and made it easier for these teams to access industry and coverage experts when challenges occur. We work with institutions of all sizes and in all regions, including public and private colleges and universities, academic medical centers, community colleges, trade schools and for-profit educational institutions. From in-depth risk assessments to placement of specialized coverage, your local service team can rely on our global higher education practice for all of your risk management needs.

Exposure checklist

The severity of claims has been escalating for institutions of higher education. We analyze all aspects of your institution with processes specifically designed for the higher education industry. Our team has researched and developed best practices in:

  • Cyber risk mitigation checklist
  • Risk transfer issues for contractors
  • Natural catastrophes
  • Collaborative groups and enterprise risk management
  • International education
  • Minors on campus
  • Experiential learning
  • And more

The best crisis response is prevention

Planning ahead for what risks might be emerging is a focus of the Gallagher Higher Education consulting and risk management practice. We are looking for trends and solutions so you are ready to protect against future risks and can stay focused on providing the best education today. Our specialty programs include:

  • Terrorism risk liability programs for higher education
  • Higher education catastrophe preparation, response and recovery
  • Higher education compensation consulting services
  • Violent malicious acts coverage
  • Disaster management services
We can all improve and learn from one another.
Tenet #4, The Gallagher Way

Opening more doors, by fostering an academic culture of open minds

Most higher education institutions spend 65% of their budget on human resources. Gallagher helps you make every dollar count. The pace of change for institutions of higher learning is staggering. The needs of Higher Education institutions range from attracting and retaining talent to creating learning environments for an increasingly diverse and global student body. We help our clients build a culture that is open-minded, as well as aligned with the needs of new students. The Gallagher Higher Education practice works with you to build a culture of sustainability. We provide:

  • Outcome-based learnings. Working with institutions to meet the demands of education and work outcome.
  • Design reward and compensation structures. Developing compensation structures that attract and retain key talent.
  • Culture climate assessments. Helping you understand how faculty, staff and the student body are interacting and places for improvement of the overall culture.
  • Sustainability strategies and plans. Creating an educational environment that will continue to thrive now and in the future.

The Gallagher Difference.
An example

Integrated Excess addresses Board’s desire for higher limits and improves cost

The Issue

A large 4 year university, a new client to Gallagher, advised that their Board wanted to consider higher General Liability and Directors & Officers/Educators Legal Liability (ELL) limits. The risk manager was anxious to respond to the Board’s concerns, but was worried about how the additional cost would impact her already approved risk management budget.

The Solution

Our team worked with risk management to develop a first rate submission and by accessing Gallagher’s proprietary integrated excess liability program we were able to develop a solution that increased current Excess Liability limits from $65M to $100M and ELL limits from $50M to $75M with improved coverage and minor premium increases.

The Result

The Board’s concerns were addressed with the University purchasing $35M of additional Liability coverage and $25M of additional ELL protection. By restructuring the Excess Liability towers we improved coverage and kept premium increases under $25,000, well within the risk manager’s budget.

Higher Education Summary

  • Sustainability consulting
  • Enterprise solutions
  • Emerging risks expertise from crisis resilience to gender equity

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