Terry Rose has been named director of the Fred Wright Center for Insurance and Financial Services at the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics.

The center was conceived after passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which removed barriers between banking and other financial services, including insurance. Its purpose is to integrate undergraduate and professional education in insurance and other financial services.

The center is in a fund-raising and development phase. Last year it gained momentum with a banquet in Charleston to honor Fred Wright, who retired from the College of Business and Economics in 1997 after over 40 years of service to WVU and the state. Gov. Arch Moore appointed Wright to be state insurance commissioner in 1985, and he served for five years.

Rose is an associate professor of finance and holds the Ernest L. Hogan Chair of Life Insurance at WVU . His specialization is in the risk management and insurance field, where he has published in academic and trade journals, consulted with businesses and governmental units, and testified as an expert witness.

After earning an undergraduate degree in actuarial science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, he worked at CNA Financial. He subsequently returned to the university to obtain his masters and doctorate degrees in finance.

The center recently received a grant from the Spencer Educational Foundation to fund an Executive-in-Residence who will teach and establish professional workshops and programs. Last year, the center sponsored a workshop at the college for insurance professionals with Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline and a workers compensation seminar at the Radisson Hotel.