Farewell from the Outgoing Chair

By Stefanos Orfanos

Expanding Horizons, April 2025

Dear Expanding Horizons readers,

After three short years, the time has come to step down from the Education and Research Section Council. I leave knowing it’s in great hands with my colleague Fang Yang at the helm and with a fantastic supporting cast.

In 2024, we thought a lot about ways to sustain smaller actuarial programs. While we had good discussions, I have to acknowledge that our impact has so far been minimal, especially given the tough enrollment situation most US programs are facing and the limited resources smaller schools have to work with.

The highlights of the year were probably the section’s 59th Actuarial Research Conference and the SOA’s 2024 Actuarial Teaching Conference, which brought many of us together. It was also wonderful seeing two of our members receive the Early Career Research Award and the Outstanding Educator Award.

AI has stormed onto the scene, reshaping how we learn and work. Understanding what this means for every corner of our profession is paramount. I hope you’ll keep diving deep into this area and share what you discover through Expanding Horizons articles, webinars, podcasts or other channels.

Wishing y’all a great year!

Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries, the editors, or the respective authors’ employers.

Stefanos Orfanos, FSA, CERA, is a clinical assistant professor and the Master of Actuarial Science program director at Georgia State University, as well as the 2024 chair for the SOA’s Education and Research Section. Stefanos can be reached at sorfanos@gsu.edu.